Thoughts of Pudding 2012
by Brian64
Summary: *2012 REVISION* Chaos theory: a nargle flaps its wings in China, and Luna responds differently to Harry during their conversation before the leaving feast in OoTP. H/L/Hr. No nargles were harmed during the writing of this fic.
1. Chapter 1: Thoughts of Pudding

**Thoughts of Pudding by Brian64.**

_**Summary**__:_ Chaos theory; a nargle flaps its wings in China, and Luna responds differently to Harry during their conversation before the leaving feast at the end of OoTP. AU, Harry/Luna/Hermione. NB: no nargles were harmed during the writing of this fic.

_**Disclaimer**__:_ Is there anyone on the planet (or at least, anyone reading this story) that doesn't know Harry Potter and associated characters were created by JK Rowling? Well anything you recognise in this story belongs to her, and anything you don't… probably belongs to her as well. I'm just playing in her world and have no intentions of making any profit from this story or messing with her copyrights (and neither should you!).

_**Author's Notes**__:_ Early chapters are shorter because the story was originally written for a drabble contest on Potterficforum. Since I hate Author's notes interrupting a story, you should only find them at the beginning and end of my fics. If one is posted at the end of a chapter, it will be removed when the next chapter appears.

This story has been edited several times since it was originally posted, and I'd like to thank the betas that have helped me in the past, including my current beta; Alix33. The latest version will always be posted on my Yahoo group.

This story was last revised in 2012.

~o~

**Chapter 1: Thoughts of Pudding.**

_Saturday 22nd June, 1996._

It was the end of term in her fourth year and Luna's thoughts were on pudding as she wandered around the castle, putting notices on the various boards outside classrooms. She didn't really mind the hide-and-seek games her roommates played with her, but it did make packing a chore.

She noticed Harry walking along the corridor as she stepped back from fixing her last notice and greeted him. Taking in his manner and appearance, Luna sighed a little to herself – he looked so sad and lost, and she wondered where his friends were. Why had they left him alone like this after all that had happened to him recently?

"How come you're not at the feast?" he asked.

Realising that he had quite enough to worry about already, she decided against telling him about her lost possessions. "Oh, I was just about to go now. I was following a Tri-winged Scruffy Nerfherder and got a little distracted. Would you like to walk down to the Great Hall with me?"

"Huh? Oh, okay, then," Harry replied distractedly as he looked over the various notes on the notice board. He was curious to see what had attracted Luna's attention.

"Come on, Harry," she said, moving to block his view of the notice board. "We should hurry before they run out of pudding."

She was too late, as Harry's eyes were already fixed on what looked like a list of books and other items on one of the notices, and he stepped around her so he could read the rest of it.

He was clearly annoyed after he read the last line: _'Please return to Luna Lovegood, Ravenclaw tower.'_

Harry turned to her. "Luna, why are your–"

Luna interrupted him and grabbed his hand, dragging him off in the direction of the Great Hall. "It doesn't matter, Harry. Pudding, remember? What kind are you hoping for?"

Harry gave her a steady gaze before appearing to relax slightly, as though realising she wasn't going to talk to him about it. "Well, I usually go for the treacle tart for dessert. What about you?"

Luna gave him a radiant smile and squeezed his hand in thanks for dropping the topic. "Oh, I don't mind what I have as long as it's sweet and yummy. I don't think I've tried the treacle tart before... Do you always choose that for dessert?" she asked, staring straight at him.

Harry gave in and simply continued talking about desserts with Luna. Her hand and conversation were both very comforting given recent events, and he liked how they made him feel. But as they walked on towards the Great Hall and the leaving feast, a part of Harry's mind was still wondering why Luna's things had gone missing.

~o~


	2. Chapter 2: The Leaving Feast

**Thoughts of Pudding by Brian64.**

**Chapter 2: The Leaving Feast.**

_Saturday 22nd June, 1996._

Harry noticed that the closer they got to the Great Hall and the leaving feast, the slower Luna seemed to walk, until she eventually came to a halt near the entrance.

"Thank you for walking with me, Harry," she said brightly as she turned to face him. "I do hope they still have some treacle tart left for you."

She released his hand with a last little squeeze and left him to enter the Great Hall, heading for the Ravenclaw table.

Harry watched her take a seat near one end, and then immediately start selecting various desserts, including a small slice of treacle tart. He hoped she liked it, and then wondered idly why it mattered to him.

He walked absently over to his usual seat at the Gryffindor table next to Ron, and spooned some tapioca pudding into a bowl. Then, remembering what Luna had said during their recent conversation, he drizzled a tiny amount of honey over it, as well as a spoonful of cream.

Harry studied the pudding suspiciously. What was tapioca anyway? He'd always steered clear of it because it looked like fish eggs in a white blancmange.

"Err, mate…" Ron began, before realising he didn't know what he wanted to say.

"What is tapioca anyway?" Harry asked, instinctively looking across the table at Hermione.

"It's like sago, Harry," she replied.

He looked at her and waited for her to continue. Surely she wasn't going to stop there? He had no idea what sago was either.

"Sorry, Harry, that's all I've got," she said, a little embarrassed.

Harry found her admission a little amusing. "That's okay, Hermione. I'm just surprised to find there's something you don't know," he said, grinning at her. "It's kind of refreshing in a way. Besides," he teased, "it's not really a life skill or something that's going to come up in our NEWTs, now, is it?"

Hermione shot a look at Ron, as though she wasn't quite sure how to react and was looking for some help.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"It's just… well, an hour ago you were so despondent; you didn't even want to come down with us to the feast. Yet now… now it's like you're back to normal, except… Harry, you _never_ eat tapioca. You don't even add anything to ice cream when you have it, but…" She gestured to his bowl and he looked down at it, almost as though noticing his dessert for the first time.

"We're just worried about you, Harry," she continued, softly. "We know it hasn't been easy for you after… well, after the Ministry."

Ron simply nodded his agreement with Hermione's words. "Yeah, mate, you know you can talk to us anytime, right?" he added.

Harry swallowed despite his throat feeling like it had suddenly tightened up. He hadn't thought about Sirius at all since he'd run into Luna, and now those feelings of loss were starting to return at Hermione's mention of the Ministry.

Waves of guilt for leading his friends into Voldemort's trap rose up and started to overwhelm him again. They all could have died so easily. He thought the image of that purple curse hitting Hermione was going to stay with him for the rest of his life, and, just like Sirius falling through the veil, the image of Hermione falling to Dolohov's silent curse had haunted his dreams every night so far.

The images returned to him again, unwanted. There was Neville, trying his hardest to cast spell after spell with a broken nose, Ginny trying to walk with a broken ankle and then Ron struggling while the tentacles from that brain-thing wrapped around him. Then Harry's breath caught as his mind replayed the image of Luna flying through the air and hitting a desk, before sliding across it and onto the floor, unmoving… so still… as still as death…

"Harry?" Hermione asked softly, interrupting his thoughts. Her hand was touching his where it shook while gripping a spoon. As his gaze lifted to hers, she saw the desolate look he'd had the last few days had returned to his eyes. Her grip tightened on his hand as she struggled desperately to think of how to bring her friend back from his thoughts.

"Oh, I see you're going to try the tapioca, Harry. There wasn't any left on our table, so do you mind if I share some of yours?"

Hermione looked over to see Luna standing next to where Harry was seated, her left hand on his right shoulder as she looked down at the table.

Taking his lack of reply as assent, she squeezed in next to him and pulled his bowl closer to herself. "May I?" she asked, gesturing towards his spoon.

Hermione released Harry's hand as he handed the spoon to Luna, a small smile starting to play across his face.

Luna took a spoonful of pudding and ate it happily, then looked at Harry. "Yummy!" she exclaimed brightly. "So why haven't you tried it yet?"

When Harry didn't reply straight away, she scooped up another spoonful and held it out towards him. His smile widened, but he didn't make any move towards it.

"Come on, Harry, open wide. It's not like I'm trying to feed you Polyjuice Potion."

"Polyjuice isn't that bad, really," he replied, thinking of the batch Hermione had brewed, and automatically trying to protect her feelings. It wasn't her fault it had tasted like raw sewage; that's just how it turned out with Goyle's hair in it.

Hermione just raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well, alright then... Yeah, Polyjuice tastes really awful," Harry said, grinning at her.

He took the mouthful of pudding Luna had patiently held for him, and thought about the taste as he swallowed. It was quite bland in his opinion. He could taste vanilla and a hint of the honey he'd added, but the tapioca itself didn't seem to have any real flavour. As a pudding, it was okay, but he doubted he'd choose it again. He wondered why it appealed to Luna. There was so much he didn't know about her.

"My mummy used to make this for me when I was feeling sad," Luna said, as though reading his thoughts, "and it always made me feel better. Anyway, I've got some things to do now, so I'd better go."

She stood up and waved her farewells to the Gryffindors around her before walking off. Harry wondered what she could possibly have to do the night before leaving, then remembered the notice she'd put up on the board. "Wait up, Luna!" he called, starting to get to his feet.

Luna stopped and turned back towards him.

"Harry, what is it?" Hermione asked.

He leaned across the table while still standing, and noted Ron had leaned forward to listen in as well. Keeping his voice down, he quickly told them what he knew and also suspected about Luna's missing possessions.

"That's just not right!" Ron blurted out, a little louder than he should have. At their looks, he quickly lowered his voice before he spoke again. "We're going to help look as well, aren't we?"

"Well, of course we are," Hermione said with a huff, as though that were the most ridiculous question she'd heard.

Harry thought for a minute. "You two go with Luna and get started then. I think I need to have a word with Padma and see if I can find out what is going on in that tower of theirs. I'll use the map to find you afterwards."

He watched his best friends get up and lead Luna out of the hall, then started scanning the Ravenclaw table, looking for their fifth year girl's prefect. Not having any luck spotting her, he glanced up and down the Gryffindor table for her sister, but it looked like she'd already left – no doubt for some last minute gossiping.

Turning back to the Ravenclaw table, he tried to find Anthony Goldstein, the only other Ravenclaw prefect he knew of. Harry doubted he'd be able to help, but he could at least get Padma for him if needed.

"Uh, Anthony, can I have a word in private, please?" he asked, after finding him at the table.

"Sure, Harry."

Anthony excused himself from his friends and followed the Gryffindor out of the hall and into the corridor, where they had a little privacy. "What's up?" the prefect asked.

"What do you know about Luna's stuff going missing?" Harry asked without any preamble.

Anthony frowned. "I don't have much to do with Luna… Why would her stuff be missing?"

"Why indeed?" Harry muttered softly to himself, before leading Anthony over to a notice board. Sure enough, Luna had placed one of her flyers on it, and he pointed it out to Anthony.

Anthony appeared to be puzzling out what this meant as he read, and from what Harry could tell from his expression, he wasn't any happier with the conclusion he'd reached than Harry was.

"I didn't know anything about this, Harry, or I'd have done something about it. We don't usually have much to do other than patrols in Ravenclaw, as we're a fairly boring bunch, and don't get into a lot of trouble…Well, not usually, anyway. If Luna had said anything, it would probably have been to Pad', so let's go talk to her."

Anthony led him up to the Ravenclaw tower entrance, and answered a riddle in order to let them in. Harry gaped at the large windows draped in blue and bronze silk, and glanced over at the white statue in a niche across from him.

Anthony indicated the nearest chair. "Best if you wait here while I get her. I'll only be a minute."

He took off up a staircase near a statue of Rowena Ravenclaw, or at least, that's who Harry assumed it was.

"What are _you_ doing in here?" a voice demanded harshly a minute later.

He looked over at the speaker, and then tried not to stare at her forehead. The word '_sneak'_ was still very visible, and at Marietta's angry glare, he realised, ironically, that with his glance to her forehead he'd done exactly what he wished others wouldn't do to him.

"I'm waiting for Anthony to come back. He's gone to get Padma," Harry replied as calmly as he could.

She looked confused. "What would you need to speak to Padma about? Parvati's here with her sister, if that's what you wanted to know."

"No, I need to speak to her about a friend of mine in Ravenclaw."

"Cho is _not_ your friend, so you stay away from her!" Marietta shouted angrily.

"It's nothing to do with Cho," Harry replied evenly, still trying to stay calm, but quickly losing that battle.

"Oh, really? Who then?" Marietta asked with disbelief and contempt dripping from her tone.

Harry had just about had enough of her. It was _her_ fault Umbridge had found the DA, and _that_ had resulted in the toad taking over Hogwarts. Maybe if the DA sessions had continued, his friends would have learnt more and not been hurt as much, and Sirius...

"It's _none-of-your-bloody-business,_ that's who!" Harry yelled back at her as he stood, all restraint gone now. He watched in satisfaction as she stepped back in alarm at his obvious anger.

Padma arrived and stepped between them, facing Harry. She looked back over her shoulder at Marietta. "I've got it now, Edgecombe, you can go back about your business," she said coldly before turning back to Harry. She gestured to his chair and took a seat next to him as he sat down again.

"Harry, Anthony told me what you talked about, and I'm sorry, but I haven't heard anything about this until now. She never came to me about it."

Harry thought she sounded a little upset, and guessed that she probably felt responsible, since she was a prefect.

"It's alright, Padma, but is there anything you can do about it now? I think if I found out who's been hiding Luna's stuff, I'm liable to start hexing first and asking questions later."

At his statement, Marietta let out a quiet gasp and turned pale. It clearly wasn't quiet enough though as Harry looked up at her suspiciously.

He noticed she had started backing slowly away. "It was _you_!" he growled, reaching the obvious conclusion. He rose to his feet again, his eyes fixed on her with a cold hard glare.

_"Incarcerous!" _Padma's spell hit Marietta, and she fell to the carpet, wrapped tightly in ropes.

"Harry, let me, please," Padma said, again standing between him and Marietta. Placing a hand on his chest, she gently pushed him back into the chair he'd just risen from, and then turned back to Marietta.

"I want to know where Luna's possessions are, and then I want to know who else was involved. I do _not_ want to hear any denials or excuses, or else…"

Marietta couldn't stop herself from asking, "Or else what?"

Padma gave her a humourless smile. "Or else I'll kick everyone else out of the tower and leave you with Harry. I think he might prefer to be the one asking anyway."

Padma reached for some parchment and a quill as Marietta started talking.

~o~


	3. Chapter 3: The Plan

**Thoughts of Pudding by Brian64.**

**Chapter 3: The Plan.**

_Saturday 22nd June, 1996._

Luna was halfway to the Great Hall doors when she heard Harry's voice call out from behind her; _'Wait up, Luna!'_

She turned around to see what he wanted, then watched as he stood up and leant over to talk briefly with his friends. She guessed that he was probably telling them about her missing possessions. Before long, Ron and Hermione got up and approached her.

"Come on, Luna," Ron said. "Harry's going to catch up with us in a bit."

"Oh, alright then," she replied serenely, following them out of the hall.

"Where should we start looking, Luna?" Hermione asked as they walked. Out of habit, Hermione had been leading them towards the library.

"Anywhere, really," Luna replied. "There isn't any sort of pattern to it."

"Pattern? Then… this has happened before?" Hermione asked, somewhat shocked.

"Oh, yes. People have been taking and hiding my things since my first year." She leaned in a little closer to Hermione and spoke conspiratorially. "I think they must think I'm a little odd, you know – because some of them call me 'Loony'."

Hermione could scarcely believe the matter-of-fact way Luna had accepted her housemates' cruelty – and this had been going on for four years? She impulsively grabbed Luna in a tight hug. What could Luna possibly have done to deserve that mistreatment? The injustice of it made her furious.

She released Luna and turned to Ron. "Right, Ron, I want you to check the Quidditch pitch and changing rooms. You know the area better than either of us would. Then I want you to check the classrooms on the first floor. I'll meet you back here in an hour." Her tone did not invite debate.

"Err, sure, Hermione. One question, though; what am I looking for?"

Luna walked over to a nearby notice board, removed her note, and handed it to Ron.

Ron's eyes widened as he scanned the list. "Blimey, all that…"

Hermione moved so that she could read the list over Ron's shoulder; she didn't say anything, but her look got even more determined – if that was possible.

"This is really very nice of you," Luna said, "but I'm sure everything will all turn up. It always has before. Well, mostly anyway."

Hermione thought about what Luna said for a moment, and then nodded. "Yes, I suppose your things would be returned eventually wouldn't they? If they stayed missing then you would almost be forced to report it, and that would result in an investigation that I doubt the perpetrators would want started."

Something occurred to her. "But if you aren't going to search for your things, and obviously you don't have your things to pack, what was it that you were going to do when you left the table?" Hermione asked.

Luna tilted her head to the side a little as she looked at her, and Hermione got the distinct impression that Luna was deciding something… Or perhaps she was waiting for Hermione to work it out for herself?

Hermione turned her full focus to the problem. No one had said anything rude to her, not even Ron, who could usually be counted on to say something inappropriate. Perhaps Luna had been embarrassed to be at the Gryffindor table? But no, that surely couldn't be it, since she'd come over herself, and taken a seat without even waiting for an invitation.

Hermione began pacing as she continued to ponder the problem. _She said she'd come over for the pudding, but then why would she leave after only one spoonful?_ Hermione wondered. So if it wasn't the pudding, then why did she come over?

Well, whatever the reason, Hermione was grateful, as her arrival and interruption had managed to distract Harry from… _Oh, Merlin, how could I have been so blind?_

"You brought him around earlier as well, didn't you?" Hermione guessed.

"I was a little put out with you two at first, you know," Luna replied.

Hermione blushed a little in shame at her admonition. Ron just looked back and forth between them with a look of confusion.

"I'm... we're sorry, Luna," Hermione said contritely.

"What? We are? What are we sorry about?" Ron asked Hermione, even more confused.

"Honestly, Ron! Think about it. When Harry left us earlier tonight, he was depressed. He showed up feeling a lot better. He sits with us for barely five minutes, and then he's depressed again. It's clearly our fault, since we practically forced him to start thinking about Sirius."

Hermione had started to pace again during her explanation, and it was obvious she was becoming more annoyed.

"But all we did was tell him we were worried, and that he could talk to us!" Ron argued. "How was that wrong?"

"It wasn't wrong… as such," Hermione agreed. "But we just didn't think it through. We should have known what Harry's reaction would be. We were idiots!"

"Yes, you were," Luna agreed happily.

"You don't have to sound so pleased about it," Ron said, somewhat belligerently.

"Why ever not?" Luna replied, with a curious tone. "It saves so much time if you already know what the problem is, and since you both love Harry, you aren't going to do it again now that you know," she stated as though it were obvious.

"Wha- what do you mean? I don't… I mean... that's not…" Ron stammered.

"Oh, Ron, she's right. Harry's like family to us. Your mother has all but adopted him, and he's as good as a brother to me. You love your family, don't you?" Having said that, Hermione ignored Ron and turned back to Luna.

She took a breath, and then another, as though trying to delay what she was going to say next. "Luna, you seem to have given his feelings a lot more thought than we have. Do you have any suggestions for how we can help Harry?"

"You think of Harry as family. Who would Harry think of as family now that his godfather is gone?" Luna prompted.

Hermione paled as she thought about it. Harry had never considered the Dursleys to be 'family' – they were just _relatives_ that didn't want him. So with Sirius gone, he'd feel alone again…

"He doesn't think he has anyone left, does he?" Hermione said softly.

"No! That's rubbish!" Ron exclaimed. "He's got us! And you said yourself that Mum's all but adopted him! He's got us!" Ron insisted angrily to Hermione.

Hermione placed a hand on Ron's arm to try and calm him down. "I know, Ron, but you know what Harry is like – he won't think of it the same way."

Ron looked ready to argue again, but stopped himself and looked thoughtful.

Hermione glanced over at Luna, and she could see from her expression that something unpleasant must have occurred to her. "Luna, what is it?"

"We're going home tomorrow," she said sadly.

Hermione nodded.

"How do you suppose Harry will be spending his summer?" Luna almost whispered.

Hermione gasped. Those damnable relatives of his would torture him mercilessly.

"We've got to talk to the headmaster. He can't possibly stay there!" she cried, and stormed off towards Dumbledore's office, too preoccupied to notice Ron and Luna following her. The headmaster would have to see that he couldn't stay with the Dursleys this summer. He needed to be with people that cared about him, that could help him through this. Surely the headmaster would understand?

When she reached the gargoyle, Hermione realised she had a problem. She had no idea what the password was. "Please, I must speak to the headmaster. It's about Harry, and it's very important." The gargoyle remained unmoved by her plea.

"Now what do we do?" Ron asked

Hermione barely hesitated. "We'll go and see Professor McGonagall," she said, already moving towards her Head of House's room, muttering to herself. "What's wrong with me tonight? I should have gone to see her first…"

~o~

"Miss Granger, Mr Weasley, Miss Lovegood. What can I do for you this evening?"

"Please, Professor, we need to see the headmaster about Harry," Hermione said, biting her lip.

Professor McGonagall frowned. "I'm afraid that's not going to be possible, Miss Granger. He's been called to the Ministry."

"He has? What has–?"

"Miss Granger," McGonagall interrupted, "I'm sure you must already know I could hardly discuss Ministry matters with a student, even if I did know the details of why he has been summoned. Now, what is so important that you wanted to bring it to the headmaster before even raising it with your Head of House?"

Hermione felt her cheeks redden in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry, Professor; I've really not been thinking straight. It's just that we were talking about Harry, and we realised that he's going to be going home tomorrow to those horrible relatives of his. And he just can't be sent there!"

"Miss Granger–" McGonagall began.

"Professor, you must know what they're like. You've seen how he looks when he arrives at school each year."

"Miss Granger–"

"You know what he's just gone through. He needs to be with his friends! He needs to be with people that–"

"MISS GRANGER!"

Hermione flinched and stopped speaking immediately at the professor's raised voice. She couldn't remember ever hearing it directed at her before.

"Hermione, take a seat please," McGonagall said in a softer tone, but one that expected obedience. "You two as well," she said to Ron and Luna.

Professor McGonagall moved over to the tea service and poured three cups for her guests, then handed them around before taking up the cup she'd been drinking from earlier.

"I shall infer from Mr Potter's absence that he does not know of your… mission?" she asked, having waited for Hermione to start drinking before saying anything.

"No, Professor, he doesn't," Hermione replied quickly between sips of her tea.

"Miss Granger, I am not unsympathetic to your request, and to be perfectly candid with you, I would tend to agree with your reasons. Though you may not share that admission with anyone," she said, making eye contact with each of them. "However…"

Hermione deflated. "You're going to let him go back there, aren't you?" she said sadly, anticipating what her professor was going to say.

Professor McGonagall looked uncomfortable. "Despite what you or I might think, the headmaster has always been most insistent that Mr Potter returns to Number Four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging each year. There are protections there that keep him safe."

Luna smiled brightly. "Thank you very much for the tea, and the conversation, Professor. We hope you have a lovely summer! Come along, Hermione, Ron."

She got up and almost pushed the other two out of the room in her haste to leave.

Hermione was despondent. "I've failed him," she said, unshed tears in her eyes.

Luna gave her a hug. "Of course you haven't – you got just what I needed!"

"I di– did?" Hermione said, not quite believing her.

"Yes, you did," Luna said firmly. "Now we need to talk about what we're going to do. After all 'if you fail to plan, you plan to fail_',_" she finished in a sing-song voice.

"His address!" Hermione blurted out. "The professor mentioned Harry's address, and you didn't know it before!"

Luna smiled. "Yes, she did. Now what do you suppose would happen if the headmaster learned that Harry didn't arrive at Privet Drive, or perhaps left there soon after arriving?"

"He'd send him back there," Ron said, without hesitation. "Oh, bugger! The first place they'd look for him would be the Burrow."

"And my house would be second," Hermione said. She looked over at Luna. "I suppose when Professor McGonagall tells the headmaster about our visit this evening, your house would be the third place they'd look."

"Oh, I expect so," Luna agreed. "But I won't be there as Daddy and I are going to Sweden to search for Crumple-Horned Snorkacks."

"What the bloody hell are Crumble-Horn Snorelax?" Ron asked.

"Ron, language!" Hermione chided before turning to Luna with a speculative look on her face. "I suppose it would be hard to get in contact with you if you were out looking for those things?"

"Well, yes, we have to put up wards so that the Snorkacks can't detect us, otherwise we'd never be able to find them," Luna replied.

"So it's like a camping holiday then? Quite relaxing…?" Hermione asked.

"It's very relaxing," Luna agreed. "We have a lovely wizard's tent and everything we could ever need."

"So if someone wanted to join you on your trip?"

"Oh, there is plenty of room, and we still have all of Mum's things. She used to camp with us as well."

At Hermione's pointed look, Luna shook her head. "Another time, Hermione."

Hermione nodded. "Alright, so plan A is for Harry to leave with you straight from the station, but if that falls through, you'll pick him up from Privet Drive?"

Luna nodded.

"What if we need to contact him?" Hermione asked

Luna's thought for a moment and then her face lost her smile. "You should send a message to him via Gringotts. Once we get to Sweden, I'll get Daddy to go into the local branch and let them know how to contact us… and Harry."

"Why would Gringotts want to– Oh… I see."

Ron sighed. "Hermione…"

"Sirius' will, Ron. Harry was his godson, so he'll probably be the main beneficiary. Gringotts will want Harry to attend the will reading," Hermione explained.

"Oh," Ron said, lost for words. In a flash of insight, he guessed that Harry wasn't going to take that news very well at all.

While they were thinking about that, Harry came jogging up. He folded up the Marauders' Map and put it in a pocket. "Hey, guys!" He turned to Luna and said, smiling, "Guess what, Luna?"

"You've seen a Blibbering Humdinger?" Luna squealed happily, nearly bouncing on her feet.

Harry laughed. "Nope, no Humdingers, and no Nerfherders either, for that matter."

"Nerfherders?" Hermione asked, looking at Luna with a raised eyebrow.

"Hmm, well, it couldn't be Nargles, because there's no–"

Harry interrupted what he was sure would be an endless list of imaginatively named creatures. "We've got all your stuff back! Padma's taken the culprits off to Professor Flitwick, so it won't be happening ever again!" he said, beaming at her, happy that his friend wouldn't have to go through that again.

Luna stood gaping at him for a moment, then with tears welling in her eyes; she rushed forwards and gave him a Molly-worthy hug.

"Air… Luna… need to… breathe," Harry gasped out.

She loosened her grip a little and whispered, "Thank you so much, Harry," in his ear. She hugged him tightly for a little while longer, and then kissed his cheek before releasing him, her eyes glistening.

"Thank you," she said to him. "And thank you both as well. Apart from Ginny, I've never had friends before. It's _wonderful_."

Predictably, Hermione grabbed Luna in a hug while telling her that of course they were her friends. Then, slightly less predictably, Hermione grabbed Harry in a hug. "You are a wonderful friend, you know. Thank you for what you did for Luna." Harry gave her a squeeze back in acknowledgement.

Ron smiled. "What, no hugs for me?" he asked, pouting outrageously after Hermione let Harry go.

The girls smiled and both gave him a hug together. Ron smirked at Harry with an arm around each of them.

Harry laughed. "Alright, _Gilderoy_, time to let 'em go. We really need to get back to our common rooms now – it's almost curfew. Come on, Luna, we'll walk you back to your tower."

When they reached the door to Ravenclaw tower, Luna gave them all another hug, and Harry got another kiss on his cheek as well. "I really do thank you, Harry. You don't know what you've done for me," she said to him.

"We'll see you tomorrow morning at breakfast, Luna!" Hermione said, waving her goodnight.

She turned to Harry. "And you, Mister Potter, have a story to tell us while we walk back."

He grinned at her. "Did you know the Ravenclaw common room has these huge windows with blue and bronze hangings? Oh, and these _huge_ bookcases as well!"

Hermione gasped, and started turning to head back and try to get Luna to give her a tour. Harry nodded at Ron. Each grabbed one of her arms, and started walking her back towards Gryffindor tower.

"Right, so anyway, I couldn't find Padma, or Parvati, so I grabbed Anthony to see if he could help…"

~o~


	4. Chapter 4: The End of Term

**Thoughts of Pudding by Brian64.**

**Chapter 4: The End of Term.**

_Sunday 23rd June, 1996._

"Hey, Harry! Are you planning on getting up anytime soon? Everyone else has already gone down to breakfast."

Harry just muttered something incomprehensible and rolled over, hoping that Neville would take his cheerfulness downstairs. He hated the last day of term with a passion, as it signalled his return to Durzkaban.

"Come on, Harry – they're not going to hold the Express for you, and you'll have to stay here all summer."

"Chance would be a fine thing," Harry muttered under his breath, realising his attempt to return to sleep was probably futile. But that wouldn't stop him from trying.

"Alright, Harry, don't say I didn't warn you… _Aguamenti._"

A stream of cold water hit Harry on the head and he shot up, spluttering for a minute, before Neville eventually cancelled his charm. "Oops, guess I forgot the counter-charm for a minute there. Sorry," he said with a smirk.

"Oh, bollocks!" Harry exclaimed. "What the hell did you do that for, Neville? Why aren't you down at breakfast yourself and leaving me alone?"

"I _was_ down at breakfast, and enjoying the company of my other friends as well," Neville replied. "But since I emptied my plate before Ron, I was 'volunteered' to fetch you. And, Harry…" Neville paused for effect, "as scary as you are, Hermione made a point of reminding me that she knows lots more spells than you. Then Luna added that she was going to find some spiny-legged… whatsits to infest my boxers if I didn't bring you back posthaste.

Neville's brow furrowed for a second before continuing. "I'm not exactly sure what Ron said as he still had at least a sausage or two in his mouth at the time." He shrugged off the memory, looking unconcerned. "So, is it going to be a _Petrificus_ and a _Mobilicorpus_, or will you come along quietly?"

Harry just gaped and blinked as his friend's monologue continued, then at Neville's question, he wisely decided not to test Neville's resolve. "Alright, alright… can I at least grab a quick shower, or would you prefer to just finish what you started with your wand?" He asked Neville, not particularly graciously. His morning grump was still in full swing.

Neville obligingly raised his wand.

"Err, wait... No, that's okay, Neville, I was just kidding," Harry said quickly, hands held out in front of him in the classic 'stop, calm down' gesture. "Bloody hell, Neville, I've never known you to be quite so… umm… bugger, I don't know how to describe it," Harry said uncertainly.

"Assertive? Confident, maybe?" Neville offered.

"Yeah, that'll do," Harry agreed.

Neville shrugged. "I realised after that night at the ministry that it was time I grew up. Besides, you do realise that the six of us held off _twelve Death Eaters_? We're heroes! Well, I mean, you've always been, but I got an owl from Gran and she said she'd never been prouder of me. She said… she said my parents would've been proud too, and… I… I want to believe her."

"I was there, Nev, remember? There's absolutely no question of it – they'd be proud as hell! I know I was, err – am... oh, bugger it... You know what I mean!" Harry rubbed at his eyes. It was way too early in the morning for him to have to make any sense. "I'm going to grab a shower," he decided.

He started grabbed some clean clothes and was about to head off when something occurred to him.

"Hey, when did you get a new wand? I thought yours broke?"

"It did," Neville said with a sigh. "Ginny loaned me hers when they sent me up to get you. She thought I might need it for some 'extra encouragement'. She insisted, actually. I guess she was right," he said, now grinning at him.

Harry reached over and tossed his wet pillow at him. "I'll meet you down there soon," he said, moving off into the bathroom.

"No rush," Neville called out to him amiably. "I can use the time to tell them how the 'extra encouragement' worked out!"

"Bugger! No, wait! Give me five minutes, Nev – that's all I'm asking... Neville? You still there? Oh, bollocks! I bloody HATE the last day of term!"

~o~

Racing into the Great Hall, it didn't take Harry long to find the others. It also didn't take him long to realise that Luna had joined the Gryffindors for breakfast, as her high peals of laughter rang out from the group of Gryffindors clustered around a wildly gesticulating Neville.

Sighing tragically, Harry summoned up his Gryffindor bravery and headed over to join his friends. As he reached the table, Ginny and Luna slid apart to make a space for him to sit down. Hermione was sandwiched between Ron and Neville on the other side of the table.

"Morning, guys. What's up?" he asked.

"You are, finally!" Ginny replied, sending Luna off into further peals of laughter, as though this was the funniest jest she'd heard all year. This caused a great deal of chuckling amongst the others. Against the wishes of his grump, Harry couldn't help but chuckle along as well. There was something about Luna's laughter that he found infectious.

Hermione reached over and grabbed his plate, swapping it with the full plate in front of her. "Here, Harry, I saved you some breakfast before it all disappeared," she said, giving a nod in Ron's direction.

"Thanks, Hermione," Harry said gratefully, and started to tuck into his eggs.

As he ate, he listened to the conversations going on around him. Luna was explaining some article or quiz in the Quibbler to Ginny, who appeared to be at least partially interested in it from the questions she asked. Ron, on the other hand, was trying to convince Neville that the Cannons were going to be a 'dead cert' for the finals now that they were going to have Gudgeon coach some new recruit they'd picked up. Hermione though, seemed to be having trouble deciding which of those conversations interested her the least, and frequently stared at Harry's breakfast plate as though willing the food to vanish so that she could talk to him.

"Oh, good grief, Potter! Haven't you surrounded yourself with enough losers already, without attracting them from other houses as well?"

Harry gritted his teeth against Malfoy's arrogant drawl. It always managed to push his buttons, and he wondered whether Malfoy practiced his snarkiness, or if it came naturally.

The Slytherin reached over and lifted some of Luna's hair, as though inspecting the strands. "Well, I suppose she is at least a pureblood, even if– _urk_!" Harry had glanced at him, and when he saw what Malfoy was doing, had leapt to his feet, his hand shooting out and around Malfoy's throat, rage twisting his features.

"You touch her again, Malfoy, and so help me, I'll–"

"Potter! Release him _immediately_!"

Harry turned his cold stare from Malfoy to Professor Snape, who was coming in fast strides towards the Gryffindor table. He had reflexively squeezed a little tighter at the sight of the hated Potions Master, but released his grip on Malfoy's throat as ordered.

"I'll see you expelled for this!" Snape hissed at him.

Harry just stared at him and didn't respond. It wasn't as though he hadn't heard that line before.

"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" Snape demanded.

"About what?" Harry asked.

"What do you have to say about your impending expulsion, you foolish boy?"

Harry shrugged. "Nothing," he replied.

"So, you admit you deserve expulsion then?" Snape practically crowed. Beside him, Malfoy had a look that suggested his Christmas had come early.

"That isn't what I meant," Harry replied, struggling to stay calm. _I'm not giving those gits the satisfaction,_ he thought to himself.

"Is that so?" Snape sneered. "Then by all means, explain yourself."

"I have nothing to say, since you don't have the power to expel me. If you did, then I'd have been on the train home before I'd been sorted in my first year. As it is, all you can do is yell and bluster, since even the house points are done for the year." Harry paused to consider something. "And since we are leaving in about an hour, you don't even have time to allocate any detentions or punishments."

Snape looked at him as though considering whether he would be able to justify drawing his wand and cursing Harry on the spot.

"However, since I'm sure you will at least insist on an apology…" Harry turned to Malfoy, and mimicked the Slytherin git's usual drawl and manner.

"Malfoy, I apologise. I suppose it's not your fault you are such a foul git. Having been raised by Death Eaters, what else could you be?" He looked Malfoy up and down with a sneer. "Then again, I suppose it could be the inbreeding… My Aunt Marge always said that if there's something wrong with the bitch, then there's something wrong with the pup."

Snape snarled and reached out, grabbing Harry's robes.

"Professor Snape!" Minerva McGonagall's voice rang out. "I'll thank you to not manhandle my students!"

Snape released Harry and stepped back with an angry glare.

"Potter! With me. Now!" McGonagall said, walking off as briskly as she could with her cane before Snape had a chance to say or do anything else. Harry smirked at Malfoy and followed his head of house.

McGonagall led him into her office, and sat down behind her desk, leaving him standing.

"Potter, what could you possibly have been thinking?"

Harry shrugged. As satisfying as it was to talk back to Snape and give Malfoy back some of his own medicine, he knew that it came with a price. They could get away with it, though he never could. That's just the way things were.

"Well, Potter?"

"What do you want to hear, Professor? For five years, Malfoy has done nothing but provoke and insult me and my friends. Yet none of the professors do anything to curb him, and we are always the ones that end up in trouble."

"Surely you exaggerate the situation?"

Harry just muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" she asked.

"I said I don't know why you bother asking!" Harry replied angrily. "It's not as though you're actually going to do anything about it, is it?"

McGonagall looked shocked. She'd never known Harry to be so angry with her.

"My first year; I came to you to tell you the stone was going to be stolen. Did you believe me? No – you didn't even bother to hear our reasons. My friends and I had to go and save it ourselves. Oh, and let's not forget that was the year we got fifty points off each, and a bloody detention in the _forbidden_ Forest – and for what? Walking the halls after curfew? Unicorns were being injured or killed by something in that forest – and yet you sent a bunch of first years to spend the _night_ out there with just Hagrid to protect us! What were you thinking putting children at risk like that?"

Harry took some slight comfort as McGonagall paled, before he started pacing in his anger, his mostly rhetorical question already forgotten. Years of frustration had been topped off by his year of dealing with Umbridge, the ministry, and the prophecy, and he'd had enough of trying to bottle it up. The anger he'd had during his rant in Dumbledore's office was coming back to him as well. Damn Malfoy, and damn Snape as well for doing this to him!

"You have a right funny way of looking after your Gryffindors, you know! I hate Snape's guts, but it couldn't be said he doesn't look after his Slytherins! I tried to do as you said around Umbridge this year, and look what it got me!"

He thrust his fist under McGonagall's nose, and, at first, she thought he was going to hit her. Then she made out the scars on the back of his hand. _I must not tell lies._

"Where... how did you get those…?"

"Umbridge made me write lines with this quill she had that wrote with my blood!"

McGonagall gasped. "A blood quill…" She tried to regain her composure, with little success. "Why didn't…"

"Why didn't I tell you?" Harry asked sarcastically. "Would it have done any good? You'd already proved how well you listen in my first year, and besides, you were the one that gave me a biscuit and told me to keep my head down after I delivered her note. Out of mind and out of sight seems to be your attitude to everything! You know, I've had five years of abuse from Snape, and probably lost more bloody house points in that class than most entire houses do. Have you _ever_ followed up on the unfairness of that? Do you even _care_ that he makes a mockery of the house points system? That he abuses us in his class and even drops my potions deliberately just so he can grade me zero? Gah! Why do I even _bother_…?"

A chime was heard, signalling that the coaches would be departing for the Hogsmeade station in thirty minutes.

He stopped his pacing and returned to standing in front of McGonagall's desk. "So what happens now, Professor? By all means, keep me here at school and assign me punishments. Whatever you have in mind won't be any worse than what I'll have to put up with at the Dursleys, where I can look forward to resuming near-starvation and a list of chores every day that would make a house-elf sigh."

McGonagall seemed almost speechless. "Harry, I… I will follow up the things you've said to me… and I _will_ see what I can do about the… the problems you… you've raised. For now, I… I think you should go and get your things and meet up with your friends. I'll talk to the headmaster when he returns, and I'll make sure you're not expelled."

Harry gave her a wry, humourless grin. "I don't have to worry about being expelled, Professor. Our _dear_ headmaster won't let his weapon out of his control after all."

McGonagall stared at him. "Weapon? What weapon, what…?"

Harry looked at her in disbelief. "You mean, he hasn't even told _you_ the prophecy yet? You know, the one that starts; _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…_ that one? Well, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. The old codger didn't bother telling me about it until after Sirius was dead. You'd think he might have made a _bit_ of an effort to train me up, though. I'm not likely to have much of a chance to vanquish anyone, let alone a Dark Lord with the generally pathetic Defence professors he's been hiring. You have to laugh, don't you – the ruddy Death Eater that impersonated Moody did the best job, though I did like Remus..."

McGonagall had gone white, and her throat had tightened up completely. She was unable to speak, and could only stare at him, stunned at what she'd just heard.

"Well, I suppose I'd best go, then?" He waited as though giving her a chance to say something, and when she didn't respond, she watched him walk over to the door and open it.

Before he left though, he paused as though something else had occurred to him and he turned back to her with his hand still on the doorknob. "You know, regardless of what I just said, I am still glad you're back, Professor. We were all outraged at what Umbridge did to you when she went after Hagrid." He then turned and left the office, closing the door behind him.

McGonagall slumped in misery. His claims were outrageous, surely? Yet… could she have failed her Gryffindors so badly? Harry seemed to think so. She took out some parchment and jotted down some notes to remind herself of what he'd just said. She owed it to herself to review his claims.

_And if he was right?_ she asked herself. Well, in that case, things would need to change! _What about that prophecy?_ She shook her head. Albus was going to have some serious explaining to do.

~o~

Harry raced up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room to get his trunk, only to find everything and everyone gone from the dorms. Turning around, he raced down to the main entrance to find one Thestral-drawn carriage, four Gryffindors, one Ravenclaw, and a Care of Magical Creatures professor waiting for him.

"Alrigh', Harry? Best be gettin' on board 'fore yeh miss the train."

"Thanks, Hagrid," Harry replied gratefully, "and thanks for waiting, guys."

"No worries, mate" Ron responded. "We took care of your trunk too. We knew McGonagall wouldn't keep you here."

"Yeah, you got that right," Harry said, seeing no need to explain why. As they all got on board, Harry found himself sandwiched between Hermione and Luna.

As the carriage started moving, Luna turned to him and gave him a tight hug and started shaking. It took a moment for him to realise she was sobbing silently, and when he did, he hugged her back.

"Hey, Luna, what's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

"Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry you got into trouble because of me. They s-said that you would be expelled!"

"Well, you don't have to worry about that; I'm not going to be expelled, and it wasn't your fault anyway. It was Malfoy's fault for provoking me, and my own fault for letting him. You didn't do anything wrong, so no more tears, okay? How are you going to cheer me up with all those tears leaking out of you?"

She squeezed him tighter in response, but then relaxed. Giving him a kiss on the cheek, she loosened her grip on him and pulled back a little. Drawing her arms back as well, she ended up hugging his arm to her, and seemed content to keep a grip on it as long as she could.

"Well, I want to thank you for standing up for me, Harry. It made me feel special to know that someone cared enough about me to do that."

"We're your friends, Luna. We'd all stand up for you. I just happened to be closer this time, that's all," Harry said with a smile, as the others nodded their agreement with his words.

Harry noticed that Luna smiled at the others, but didn't make any move to release his arm and try to hug them. _Probably too hard to do that in the carriage,_ he thought, while the part of his mind that was enjoying Luna's attention whispered, _Good!_

As the carriage made its way to Hogsmeade station, Luna made herself a little more comfortable, and in the process, she adjusted her grip on his left arm. Her right hand had snaked lower to hold his hand, while her left clutched his upper arm close to her chest. Her head rested on his shoulder.

Harry closed his eyes and leaned back against the seat as the carriage rocked its way to the station, and tried to ignore the fact that his upper arm was in contact with certain soft portions of Luna's body. He listened to Ginny as she started reciting a Quibbler article, and tried to clear his mind of his anger and frustration. He only had this time and the trip back to London with his friends, and he didn't want to waste that time being angry.

By the time they reached Hogsmeade, he thought he had done a good job of relaxing. Though if he were truthful, the warm, blonde girl on his left had far more to do with it than anything he'd done.

~o~

Walking through the Hogwarts Express, Harry realised that, as the last students to board, they'd never find an empty compartment so they could all sit together on the trip back. As they passed by a half empty compartment containing some Hufflepuffs from the DA, the door opened.

"There you are, Harry!" Susan Bones exclaimed. "Well, come in! Ernie, Hannah, and I were holding this one for you! We're travelling with Justin and the others in the next compartment."

Hermione answered for Harry, who looked dumbfounded, "Thank you, Susan, that was very kind of you! All of you... I'm sure our _Stupefied_ friend here will tell you the same thing once we _Rennervate_ him," she said, then nudged Harry.

"Yes, very kind… Umm, well, thanks, Susan," Harry said. He was still trying to process the fact that they'd gone out of their way to save a compartment for them.

"You're welcome, Harry. We still owe you for the DA," she said, smiling at him in farewell as she left for the adjacent compartment. Hannah followed with a smile for him as well. "Bye, Harry!" she said, waving as she walked past, following her best friend.

Ernie clapped him on the shoulder as he too left the compartment. "This is the least we could do for you, Harry."

The group piled in and sat down, seated in the same way that they had in the carriage. Luna regained her possession of Harry's arm, and Harry couldn't think of any reason not to let her. He had asked her to cheer him up, and it seemed she'd decided this was the way she was going to do it. It was working, and before long Harry dozed off almost reluctantly while listening to the friendly conversation around him.

He woke instantly at the sound of the carriage door slamming open, and saw Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle just outside the doorway.

"So, Potter, enjoying your last ride on the Express, are you? Of course, even if you weren't expelled, it's not like you would live through the summer now that–"

A large assortment of spells hit Malfoy and his goons, and they were blasted down the corridor. Susan, Hannah, Ernie, Justin, Anthony and Terry walked into view, wands in hand. Terry poked his head in on the way past. "Sorry about the interruption, guys – we'll just take out the rubbish." Everyone laughed. He waved at them in farewell, and closed the door.

As Harry relaxed back again, he thought about all the oddities that had been occurring this morning. It could all be coincidence, he thought to himself, and yet not one of his friends had asked him about his meeting with McGonagall. He'd have bet Galleons that either Ron or Hermione would have asked him. Come to think of it, they hadn't asked him how he had been feeling this morning either – that was new.

It was almost as though they had decided not to ask him any questions, and would let him decide what and when to talk to them about things. If that was the case, shouldn't he tell them what had happened this morning? _Well, part of it at least,_ he decided. He owed them some explanation.

Harry cleared his throat. "So, who wants to hear about how I told McGonagall off this morning?" he asked.

He looked around the compartment and counted four dropped jaws and one smile.

~o~


	5. Chapter 5: Confrontations

**Thoughts of Pudding by Brian64.**

**Chapter 5: Confrontations.**

_Sunday 23rd June, 1996._

The train had barely pulled into King's Cross station, yet the platform was already crowded with students eager to begin their summer holidays. In one compartment, however, the occupants had barely even thought about disembarking.

"Hermione, I don't know how many other ways to say it. I'm sorry, alright? I really didn't mean to have a go at McGonagall, but with everything that's been going on the last few days and her… Well, anyway, it just came out! I'll tell her I'm sorry when I next see her."

Hermione was a little confused. She had been incensed at Harry's description of his blow-up in her favourite professor's office. That he had seemed almost proud of his outburst had led to her berating him soundly until, eventually, she'd run out of steam.

The strangest thing was that Harry almost seemed to relax as she was doing it. Oh, he wasn't enjoying the telling-off, she could see that, but there was something going on in his head. Then it occurred to her. He was grateful that she was laying into him as she normally would, instead of treating him with kid gloves and letting him off because of it.

It was Neville that responded to Harry's latest apology attempt. "Sounds good, Harry. I reckon that'll do it. Won't it, Hermione?"

Surprised at Neville's comment, Hermione just nodded. Since when had Neville developed a stare like that?

Harry sighed. "Well, that's good. Right, come on then, let's go. The train should be mostly empty now, and we can't sit here all summer."

Luna finally disentangled herself from Harry's arm and stood up with the others. She watched as Harry lifted her trunk from the storage rack and placed it next to her, before he started retrieving the others. As Luna grabbed the end handle, she was glad Hermione had conjured wheels on the ends of everyone's trunks, as it made them much easier to drag around.

As she led the way off the train and onto the platform, she stood to the side as her new friends followed her off and then joined everyone else in looking around for familiar faces and family members.

Neville was the first to notice the stuffed vulture hat moving in their direction, and he smiled as his grandmother walked up to them. He introduced her to Luna and made sure she still remembered the others from when they'd met at St Mungo's.

Augusta Longbottom looked intently at Harry as though making up her mind about something, and then gave him an awkward hug. "Thank you for all you've done for Neville, young man. You've helped him become more like his father was. If you ever need anything, you be sure to remember you're a friend of the Longbottoms."

Turning to her grandson she asked, "Have you got everything, Neville? Well, let's be off then."

She waved her goodbyes and was about to leave when Harry blurted out, "Mrs Longbottom? Uh, well, I don't know if Neville has mentioned it, but it's my fault his wand was broken. And, umm, I'd really like to buy him a new one."

She gave him a faint smile before replying. "Thank you, but it's something I should have done a long time ago." At Harry's disappointed nod, she seemed to think for a second. "Well, perhaps you could buy him a wrist holster for his new wand instead?"

Harry shared a smile with her and nodded before she and Neville made their final goodbyes and walked off.

Hermione shook her head in resignation; that boy wasn't happy unless he took responsibility for everything going on around him. She looked around and nudged Ron. "Judging from the number of redheads walking this way, I think your family is here."

Luna piped up. "Would you say we have a plethora of redheads heading this way?" she asked Hermione.

Caught off balance, Hermione asked, "A what?"

"A plethora."

Hermione considered the odd word and eventually remembered where she'd heard it used in a movie. She gave Luna a funny look. "Yes, El Guapo, we have a plethora of redheads heading our way."

Luna beamed at her reply, practically bouncing on the spot, and Hermione wondered how much of Luna's 'odd' behaviour was due to loneliness and imagination. _There but for the grace of God go I,_ she thought, and wondered idly whether being attacked by a troll in her first year was actually the luckiest thing that had ever happened to her, instead of one of the scariest.

She was startled out of her thoughts as Hurricane Molly swept in, dispensing hugs and comments in equal measure, often to the embarrassment of the recipients.

"Oh, Ron, look at you; you must've grown at least an inch! And, Harry, you've shot up like a weed; those robes will never do for next year! My goodness, Ginny, your hair is absolutely gorgeous! Who cut it for you? Hermione, you've certainly filled out since Christmas, dear. And... Oh, this can't be Luna, can it? I haven't seen you since before Ginny started at Hogwarts. Come here, love, you give the best hugs."

Hermione had been so busy blushing furiously from Molly's comment that she hadn't heard her parents come up behind her, and was consequently surprised when her mother whispered in her ear, "Well, she's right about that. We'll go shopping soon, okay?"

Hermione spun around and hugged her mum, and then her dad. The next few minutes involved a flurry of introductions as everyone shook hands, or hugged, in the case of the two women.

"Wotcher, Harry, got a mo'?" a new voice asked.

Harry looked around. "Oh, hey, Tonks. Uh, sure." He turned to the others. "I'll be back in a tic." Harry followed Tonks over to a group of three people he recognised, not really noticing that Arthur was following as well.

His former third year Defence professor was the first to step forward. "Hello, Harry, how are you?"

"I'm fine, Professor Lupin," he replied, shaking the offered hand.

"It's Remus, Harry, or Moony, remember?" Remus gently rebuked.

Harry nodded, and turned to the next person who'd stomped over to him. "And while we're at it, I better not get any _'Professor Moody's'_ from you either, especially since I never got to do any actual teaching. It's Alastor, alright? Or I suppose you could use 'Mad-Eye', as long as you've got your wand in hand and you're feeling lucky."

Harry nodded, and swallowed nervously as he turned to the third member of the group they'd approached. "Professor McGonagall, I'd really like to apologise for–"

"Apology accepted," McGonagall interrupted. "Although having had some time to review some of the things you've said, I must say I'm surprised that you managed to hold it all in as long as you did. I doubt I would have managed to do the same if our positions had been reversed. I suspect I would have blown up around fourth year when everyone was wearing those 'Potter Stinks' badges." She paused and mused for a moment. "Yes, definitely during fourth year, I'd say."

She brought her attention back to the present. "And now, Harry, I would like to offer you my own apology and ask for your forgiveness. I'm afraid to say that with age doesn't come any great wisdom, or if it does, then it blinds us to the possibility that those much younger than us might have some wisdom of their own. I've finally come to realise, with your prompting of course, that I've let you down many times, and for that I am very, very sorry. In my own defence, however, I wasn't always given the freedom to act as I would have liked, but ultimately the choice to do what was right, instead of what was easy, was always my own. I do intend to start making the right choices from now on."

Harry, thoroughly embarrassed at receiving such a lengthy and heartfelt apology, could only nod before eventually muttering, "Of course, Professor."

"Thank you, Harry. Now, if you will please excuse us, we have some business to take care of."

Harry could only nod and stare as she, Remus, Moody, Tonks and Arthur Weasley walked off. He headed back to where he'd left the others, his thoughts whirling.

"You alright, mate?" Ron asked as Harry re-joined them.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied automatically, looking back over his shoulder at McGonagall and the other Order members he'd just been speaking with.

"Oh, no!" he gasped, as he saw their destination. He was about to run after them, when he was restrained by Molly's firm grip.

"It's alright, dear, they're just going to explain a few things to your… your _relatives_," she said, distaste dripping from her tone at the last word.

"Mrs Weasley, you don't understand – it won't work! It'll just make things worse!"

Molly turned him to face her, hands on his shoulders now. "From what I've heard, I'm not sure it could be any worse, dear," she said sadly.

Face flaming, he turned his head and couldn't face anyone. He could see Hermione's parents whispering to her, but she was shaking her head, dismissing their questions.

He could hear his Uncle Vernon's indistinct shouts from where he stood, and then Tonks yelling fiercely back at him, surprisingly joined by McGonagall's angry-sounding Scottish brogue as well.

Harry started to think of the possible repercussions. He was still underage, so he couldn't use magic. His cousin outweighed him by at least a four-to-one ratio, and had taken up the 'noble sport' as his Uncle Vernon called it. He came to the realisation that he didn't stand a chance.

His gloomy thoughts were interrupted by the feel of a warm hand sliding into his own, and he looked over to see Luna's smiling face looking at him. "It'll be alright, Harry. Really, it will."

He stared at her, wondering how she could be so confident of that. Then his face started to relax, and he found himself responding to her smile.

His contemplation of that smile was interrupted by Mrs Weasley. "Come on, Harry, it looks as if they've finished." She started leading him over to where the other group was standing near the platform's exit, and everyone followed. Harry noticed that Hermione, Ron, and Ginny had moved closer to him and Luna. He appreciated their support.

As they walked up en-masse over to where the Dursleys were standing, Harry heard Moody's last growled instructions, "You better not forget what we said, Dursley!"

Before Vernon could reply, Moody turned to Harry. "If we don't get an owl from you every three days, we'll be along to find out why."

Tonks joined in. "Of course, you can write to us sooner if you feel like a chat."

While Harry digested that bit of news, Arthur stepped up to shake his hand. "Bye then, Harry. We'll be along to pick you up as soon as we can." He turned to his family. "Right then, Weasleys, time to go."

A confusing mixture of handshakes, waves, and well-wishes ensued before the group of redheads left the station.

"Get your trunk–" Vernon stopped short for a quick second. "We're leaving!" He spat out. Harry filled in the pause after 'trunk' with 'boy', even if Vernon hadn't said it.

It was only when he went to accept a goodbye hug from Hermione that he realised his left hand still held Luna's. Guiltily, he released it so he could hug his friend back.

Hermione gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You take care of yourself, Harry, and remember we're all here for you. You won't be by yourself for long." She let him go and stepped back as Luna stepped in for her own goodbye hug.

"I'll see you soon, Harry," she said, giving him a kiss with her hug as well.

Harry nodded in appreciation at both of them, grabbed his trunk, and trudged off behind his relatives.

Once he'd left, Hermione turned to Luna. "So, Plan B, then?"

Luna nodded, her eyes still following Harry.

Hermione looked thoughtful for a second as some pieces fell into place for her, and then she smiled. "Alright, Leia, you take good care of our scruffy-looking Nerfherder."

Luna winced. "He caught me by surprise while I was pinning up my notices. I was just trying to distract him from them."

Hermione nodded. "You know, he must be the only Muggle-raised boy in Hogwarts that's never seen The Empire Strikes Back. It's sad that he's missed out on so much."

"Well, we'll just have to take care of that, won't we?" Luna replied.

"Of course. Let me know if you need any help."

"Of course I will, Hermione."

"When will you–" she began.

"Best we don't talk about that, I think," Luna interrupted, and Hermione nodded her understanding. What she didn't know, she didn't have to lie about to meddling headmasters.

Hermione's parents had been hanging back to give the two a chance to talk, but as the platform was now empty except for the four of them, they stepped up. "Luna, are your parents coming to collect you?" Emma Granger asked.

She shook her head. "No, Daddy will still be working at the Quibbler for hours yet. I usually catch the Knight Bus home."

Emma shared a look with her husband before turning back to Luna. "Well, if you don't have anywhere you need to be for a while... Would you like to come with us? You can catch the Knight Bus from anywhere, as I understand it, and apparently it takes almost no time to get from place to place from what Hermione's told me."

Luna nodded and smiled brightly. "That's right, and yes, I'd be very happy to join you." She grabbed her trunk, moved to stand next to Emma, and took hold of Emma's right hand. "I'm ready now," she said.

A little surprised, Emma nodded, and they all walked off towards their car.

~o~

Harry sat in his usual cramped seat behind Vernon, while Dudley, seated behind Petunia, somehow managed to take up more of the back seat than he needed.

Dudley kept looking over at him as though torn between wanting to ask him something, and wanting to rip into him because of the things those 'freaks' had said to his father. Harry had no difficulty reading Dudley's moods now. Having had to grow up around him, he'd had to learn how to do so, or else he might not have grown up at all.

Curiosity evidently won out.

"How did a freak like _you_ manage to get such a fit-looking girlfriend?" he finally blurted.

_Girlfriend? _Harry wondered. "What are you on about, Dud?" he asked with some annoyance.

Before Dudley could say anything, his aunt interrupted him. "Now, Duddikins, just let him be–"

Dudley wasn't listening to her. "I s'pose you had to cast a spell or something to get her to hold your hand, right?"

"What are you talking about, Dudley?" Harry replied, getting more irritated now. He was starting to wonder if it was his lot in life to be the whipping boy for every git he came in contact with.

Vernon, trying to head off what he thought was Dudley's jealousy, waded into the discussion. "Now, Dudders, I'm sure you'll find a much better looking girlfriend. I don't think that blonde girl was all that attractive, what with her straggly hair and all. Besides, you wouldn't want a frea– uh, I mean, you want a normal girl."

Harry, having now had a map drawn for him to work out the conversation, felt an overwhelming urge to defend Luna. "She is _not_ my girlfriend, and she is _very_ attractive!" he said angrily, not noticing a slight blush rise in his cheeks as voiced his opinions on Luna's appearance. "You don't even know her, so don't talk about her as though you do!"

He turned to Dudley. "And you better keep away from her if you know what's good for you! I won't have you bothering my friends!"

Dudley looked as though he wanted to argue the point, but something in his cousin's eyes changed his mind, and he decided to spend the rest of the trip home looking out the window instead.

Trying to work out whether he would rather be furious at Vernon for slighting Luna, or Dudley for… for… What _was_ he angry with Dudley about? He stared out the window in some confusion.

~o~

Hermione was sitting at a table with Luna, trying to work out how to ask the question she was burning to ask her. Her parents had decided to stop off at a café for some afternoon tea, and they were both up at the counter placing the orders.

"She died when I was nine," Luna said, breaking the silence and correctly guessing Hermione's thoughts. Her tone was matter-of-fact, as though talking about the chance of rain the next day.

"Oh, Luna, I'm so sorry," Hermione said, feeling a twinge of guilt and sadness for her friend.

Luna shrugged. "It's okay, Hermione. She was an extraordinary witch, but she did like to experiment, and one of her spells got away from her. I didn't know what to do – except tell her that I loved her, of course. We do keep extra Floo powder on hand now, though."

Hermione's eyes glistened at the thought of a nine-year-old Luna sitting with her mother while she died, and scooted along the booth so that she could hug her.

"Oh, it's alright now, Hermione. It was horrible at the time, of course, and I do still get sad sometimes. But I've still got Dad, and some wonderful new friends to love now."

Hermione just hugged her and tried to maintain her composure, while Luna patted her back. She'd suspected something, but it was much worse than she could have imagined.

Hermione let go of Luna and looked at her sadly, wiping at her eyes. "Does anyone else know?" she asked.

"Well, I think Mr and Mrs Weasley do. They used to look after me a bit afterwards, but I don't think they told anyone. Ginny never said anything, and I think she would have if she had known about it."

Hermione nodded. That made sense to her as well.

"You look a fright. Why don't you go to the bathroom and freshen up before your parents get back?"

Hermione nodded again and left the table. Not long afterwards, the Grangers brought over the trays of cakes and drinks they'd purchased. Hermione returned as they were being handed out.

"What's this?" Luna asked, indicating the cake in front of her.

"Oh, that's Tiramisu. You'll love it, Luna!" Hermione said, digging a fork into her own serving and taking a bite.

Luna took a bit of the dessert herself, and marvelled at all of the strange tastes – so different to anything she'd had before, but still quite nice. She supposed she could get quite used to it if she drank coffee.

The afternoon tea passed in quiet conversation. When they were ready to leave, Luna thanked them for inviting her to join them, and for her tea, and told them that she would catch the bus now.

Dan Granger looked around at the busy street and frowned. "From here, Luna? Isn't it a little exposed? We don't mind taking you somewhere if you'd prefer."

"It's okay, Dad, none of the Muggles will notice anything," Hermione said. "Well, other than you two of course, and that's only because you know about magic and are expecting it. Everyone else will ignore it."

Luna smiled, took out her wand from her pocket, and held it out.

With a loud bang, the violently purple, triple-decker bus stopped in front of her. Luna hugged Hermione and Emma while Dan got Luna's trunk out of the car and brought it over. He was rewarded with a hug of his own from the young blonde.

"Well, come on, come on. We 'aven't got all day," Stan urged, lugging Luna's trunk on board as she made her last farewells. She stepped on board and not long afterwards the Knight Bus rocketed around the nearest corner and disappeared.

"Where you 'eaded?" Stan asked her, once they began moving.

"Little Whinging, Surrey. And can I have a purple toothbrush, please? I haven't got one that colour yet. You can keep the hot water bottle, though; I don't want it."

"That's still firteen Sickles, miss," Stan said, handing over a ticket and a purple toothbrush in exchange for the coins.

~o~


	6. Chapter 6: Plan B

**Thoughts of Pudding by Brian64.**

**Chapter 6: Plan B.**

_Sunday 23rd June, 1996._

Xenophilius Lovegood sat in his office at the Quibbler and tried to digest the stream of consciousness masquerading as a letter that his daughter had sent him this morning from Hogwarts.

He rubbed his forehead and tried to focus on the essential points. She had made some _'truly wonderful new friends'_, which included Harry Potter. Harry was going to be joining them on their Snorkack hunt because his relatives were _'not very nice people at all'_. And she was going to bring him home tonight.

Apparently, Harry was going through some unspecified emotional trauma at the moment and couldn't possibly stay with _'those people'_ in his current state. Luna made a point of saying she wasn't sure that they deserved to have him stay with them ever again.

He sighed. He wasn't ready for his barely fifteen-year-old daughter to have fallen for some boy, yet she'd clearly done so. If he was honest with himself, he doubted he'd be prepared even when she was a hundred and fifteen, and from talking to other fathers over a mug of butterbeer at the local, he knew he wasn't alone in that regard.

Xenophilius consoled himself with the thought that at least he would have the opportunity to get to know Harry over the summer, and see if he was worthy of her.

He went back and reviewed Luna's instructions to him. Numbers one, seven and fourteen were all the same; he wasn't to ask for an interview.

Numbers two, three, nine, sixteen and twenty-two were all the same as well; he wasn't to tell anyone about Harry Potter visiting, staying or holidaying with them under pain of death.

It was strange, but Luna seemed to imply that it would be Harry's death, and not his own (at her hands) if anyone found out. How odd!

~o~

Harry didn't pay any attention to the trip back to Privet Drive. With little else to occupy his mind, his thoughts had drifted back to _that night_, and the veil that had stolen Sirius from him. Well, the veil and Bellatrix Lestrange that is.

He'd spent most of the time replaying the battle over and over in his mind, trying to make sense out of something that just didn't add up. Why were the spells she was casting at his godfather _red_, instead of the usual green of the killing curse?

The only red spell he knew was _Stupefy_. Was she really sending stunners at Sirius, or was she using another spell he didn't know about. Remus could probably tell him, as he must have seen it as well, but he didn't know how he was going to ask Remus something like that.

Did it make a difference anyway? Bellatrix was the crazy psycho that had gone with Barty Jr and the Lestrange brothers to torture Neville's parents. Neville had told him that. But then, how did Neville know for sure what had happened when he was just a toddler himself at the time?

It could as easily have been Barty, Rabastan or Rodolphus that had cursed the Longbottoms. Lord knows the ministry didn't let a little thing like guilt or innocence get in the way of throwing someone into Azkaban. What they did to Sirius proved that.

But she had cast the Cruciatus on Neville at the Ministry, and she was definitely the one that had killed Sirius. The spell hit him, and he'd fallen through the veil. But if the veil wasn't there, would a _Rennervate_ have woken Sirius? Was his death just an accident after all?

Harry was startled out of his thoughts by his uncle's shouting as the car jerked to a rough halt.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS _SHE_ DOING HERE? I WON'T HAVE IT! I DON'T CARE WHAT THOSE RUDDY FREAKS SAID, BOY, THIS IS THE LAST STRAW, AND THERE IS _NO WAY_ SHE IS STAYING HERE!"

Harry looked up to see Vernon fumbling with his seatbelt, trying to get loose from it. As he looked out the windscreen, he could see Luna sitting on her trunk near the front door, and he blinked. The unreality of her being there confused him, and he just stared, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. Why would Luna be there with her trunk?

The sound of Vernon's seatbelt clasp cracking against his side window as he finally threw it off him woke Harry up to the inherent danger Luna faced. Reaching forward, he slammed his hand down on Vernon's door lock to delay him, then undid his own seat belt and quickly got out of the car.

Drawing his wand, Harry moved to stand between the car and Luna, readying himself for what was likely to happen next. He decided stunners would be best. They were quick to cast, and he didn't have to worry about those he stunned being Rennervated as had happened at the ministry.

Struggling out of the car, Vernon started storming toward the freaks when he noticed something. The boy was standing there with his _thing_ pointed straight at him, and there was a look on his face that he'd never seen there before. In the mirror – oh, yes, that look was very familiar when he thought about the freak – but he'd never expected to see it on the boy's face.

"Put that away, boy, before someone sees you!" Vernon hissed.

His demand was ignored. The boy held his stick unwaveringly pointed at him, as though it were a loaded gun. Did he know enough after five years at that freak school of his to use it against someone?

He looked for any trace of bluff in the boy's glare, but couldn't find any. There wasn't a trace of the fear that should be there either, and Vernon began to wonder if he was actually in any danger.

It was Petunia that eventually broke the deadlock.

"Ha–Harry? Are–Aren't you going to introduce us to y–your friend?" she said, stammering from her fear

Harry's eyes flicked briefly over to his aunt as she started speaking, before returning to stare unblinkingly at Vernon again. Finally cowed at the thought of what the boy might do to Petunia or Dudley, Vernon dropped his gaze and unclenched his fists, before putting his hands in his pockets.

Luna hopped up from her trunk and stepped up next to Harry. "I'm Luna, I'm Harry's…" She paused, and tilted her head slightly as though trying to decide how to describe herself, and then just shrugged as though it didn't matter.

"Well, we're p–pleased to meet you, Luna," Petunia replied, before looking over at her husband. "Aren't we, Vernon?"

"Yes," he grunted shortly.

"Well, do y–you think we can all go inside and have a cup of tea, Harry?" Petunia asked.

"Oh, that does sound nice," Luna replied, "but I'm afraid we really should be going now."

"We? Who is '_we_'?" Vernon demanded loudly and Harry's eyes locked back on his again. The wand that had been pointed down at the ground once Vernon had pocketed his hands earlier now tracked him again.

"Oh, well, Harry and me of course," Luna replied.

"What?" Harry exclaimed, speaking for the first time. He was echoed by both Petunia and Vernon.

"Oh, dear, I probably should have asked you first, shouldn't I? Harry, would you like to spend the summer with me and Daddy in Sweden while we look for Crumple-Horned Snorkacks?"

"A snork axe?" Vernon muttered to himself.

Petunia, seeing an opportunity, clutched it quickly in both hands. "Oh, that sounds lovely, Harry, and much more interesting than your usual summers here. You should go, of course."

Harry couldn't see himself agreeing with the Dursleys over the colour of grass, but he was being given a chance to leave them before he'd really even arrived. So why exactly hadn't he already agreed to go?

"That sounds great, Luna. Thank you, and, yes, I would like to go with you."

Luna made an excited squealing sound and then bounced back to her trunk and dragged it with her back to Harry, where she grabbed his left hand and started pulling him towards the road.

Petunia hurried out of their way, walking around the back of the car to stand next to Vernon.

"Don't forget your trunk, Harry!" Luna reminded him. Vernon went to open the driver's door so that he could pop the release, only to find that Dudley had locked all the doors.

Since his car keys were still in the ignition, he banged on the window until Dudley eventually unlocked the door so he could reach inside. A minute later, Harry and his trunk were reunited and ready to go.

"Bye, Harry, I hope you have a good summer."

Harry turned around and just stared at what must have been a Polyjuiced replica of his aunt until Luna nudged him.

"Uh, yes, Aunt Petunia, thank you. You too..." he said, before looking over at Luna as though checking to see if he'd done it right.

She smiled at him, and then waved goodbye to the Dursleys, before facing the road and extending her own wand.

Petunia shrieked at the sight of the Knight Bus, as if all her fears had just come true. Vernon on the other hand ignored it completely and seemed to be paying a great deal of attention to the garden.

"Have you sprayed the roses, Pet? It looks as though they might need it," he commented, studying the flowers intently as the Knight Bus vanished from Little Whinging.

~o~

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded…" Stan began, but Harry ignored his speech and looked around. Absolutely nothing seemed to have changed since he'd last caught the bus three years ago.

"We're going to Ottery St. Catchpole, Stan, and we'll have two hot chocolates please," Luna said, before turning to Harry. "Would you like a toothbrush as well? I've been collecting them each year when I ride the bus, but I've never had a chance to get two in one year before. I think I'll get an emerald green one this time."

"Err, well, a blue one then."

"Right then," Stan said, "that's fifteen Sickles each." Harry handed over a Galleon and thirteen Sickles, and received two tickets and two toothbrushes. "Back in a mo' with your 'ot chocolates. You 'ave this one," Stan said leading them to one of the beds.

Harry laid back quickly, knowing what to expect once Stan had stowed the trunks under the bed.

"Take 'er away, Ern," Stan said, and Harry braced himself.

With a BANG, the Knight Bus took off, and suddenly Luna was thrown hard against him from the explosive burst of speed. Harry grabbed at her in reflex to help steady her.

"Thank you, Harry," she said, seemingly unconcerned at being sprawled on top of him on a bed with his arms around her.

"Uh, that's okay, Luna," Harry said as he let his arms go and they moved apart in order to sit up. A minute later, Stan arrived with their drinks.

"So, you live in Ottery St. Catchpole?" Harry asked.

Luna nodded. "Yes, just over the hill from Ginny actually. We used to play together as children sometimes."

"That must have been nice, growing up with friends," Harry mused aloud. "So what sort of games did you and Ginny play?"

"Oh, I suspect the same as most other children do. We'd run around a lot and sometimes chase each other or the Gernumblis, and sometimes we'd go swimming. We also liked to take it in turns to dress up and pretend to marry you."

Harry had just taken a mouthful of hot chocolate, and it sprayed out of his mouth and all over Stan just as he was bringing over their hot water bottles.

"'Choo do that for?" he asked, bringing out his wand and casting a spell to clean himself up, before walking off muttering to himself. "Woss 'is problem then?"

"…M–M–Marry _me_?" Harry asked confused. _What sort of game was this_ he wondered?

"Oh, yes," Luna replied quickly.

"Why would kids want to pretend to marry _me_?" Harry asked, still dazed at the idea.

"Hmm, well, I don't know that many boys played it, but you know that most girls tend to imagine themselves as princesses, waiting for their prince to come and take them away on a white horse, don't you?"

He hadn't really thought much about what little girls imagined, but he understood the general concept and nodded.

"Well, after you defeated Tom the first time, you became every girl's real life hero. You had slain the evil wizard and disappeared. It was all very heroic and you were our prince, you see?"

Harry nodded again; he got it now, and really, it did make a kind of sense when she put it like that.

"So… now that I'm, you know… back in the wizarding world, does that mean those games aren't being played anymore?" he asked hopefully.

Luna looked at him in disbelief for barely a second before she burst into loud laughter that showed little signs of stopping. She clutched her sides and rolled around as though in pain, and Harry couldn't help but laugh along while having no idea what she found so funny.

She calmed down after a while and sat up, working on regaining her composure. She turned to face Harry again, and opened her mouth as though about to answer him, but instead started to snigger and giggle. Eventually she gave up all pretence of control and let loose the laughter she'd been trying to hold back.

It was a long time before she was able to speak again, and her mirth and laughter still weren't far away.

"Oh, Harry, do you honestly think after all you've done since you've been back that little girls would be playing it _less_? Besides, they could only imagine how handsome you'd be before, and now there are plenty of pictures of you for them to dream about when they pretend to marry the Boy-Who-Lived."

He looked at her in horror.

Luna reached over and patted his shoulder with a broad smile. "Don't worry, Harry, your friends don't see you as the 'Boy-Who-Lived' anymore; you're just our Harry."

Harry relaxed a little.

"…And Ginny and I haven't talked about marrying you in ages. We're old enough to stop pretending now."

Harry relaxed even more, not that he expected that were still playing the game at their age, but it was good to hear it confirmed.

"So, umm, you can swim, then? Harry asked, hoping desperately that this topic wasn't going to turn around and bite him like the last one did.

"Oh, yes, Ginny and I used to swim all the time in their waterhole when we were younger. What about you, Harry?"

"Well, not so much, no," he replied.

"But you had to swim in the second task in the tournament, didn't you?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, but I used Gillyweed for that."

She frowned. "So you dove in without knowing how to swim, and just trusted in the Gillyweed?"

Harry shrugged. "Well, I didn't really have a choice, did I? I had to go and rescue Ron."

Luna put her hand on his arm. "Don't worry, Harry, I'll teach you to swim if you like!" she said brightly.

Harry smiled back. "That'd be great, thanks, Luna."

"I suppose you'll want me to wear a bathing suit when I do?" she asked, as though already expecting an affirmative answer.

"Don't you usually?" he replied, almost reflexively, and then groaned as he realised the likely answer from the way she'd asked the question.

"Oh, no, I much prefer to swim naked."

Harry tried desperately not to imagine Luna gliding naked through the water, while the rest of his mind and body was becoming quite enthused with the idea of imagining exactly that.

"Sweden!" he blurted out, hoping to find a safe subject. "What do you know about Sweden?"

"Well, July is the height of summer there, of course, and a lot of people go canoeing or kayaking, and the water in the lakes and archipelagos warms up enough to–"

"Ottery St. Catchpole. We're 'ere," Stan's voice rung out.

"Thank you, Stan, thank you very much," Harry said gratefully.

~o~

Albus Dumbledore looked at one of his little silver devices and frowned. Harry's presence at Privet Drive should have started the wards charging again, but this showed that they were continuing to drain.

Something was very wrong, and he needed to find out what it was immediately.

~o~


	7. Chapter 7: Gang Aft Agley

**Thoughts of Pudding by Brian64.**

**Chapter 7: Gang Aft Agley.**

_Sunday 23rd June, 1996._

Minerva McGonagall sat in her office with a cup of her favourite tea in hand. In her anger, she barely noticed that her hands shook from time to time, sloshing some tea over the rim.

She did notice the headmaster as he rushed through her door, however. Albus Dumbledore rarely rushed, so she put down her teacup.

"Albus, what is it?"

"Minerva, I fear there may be a problem at Privet Drive. Would you please head over there now while I contact Grimmauld Place? I will send what Order members I find there to join you."

Minerva thought for a moment before responding, "I'll Floo to Arabella's immediately, but I'm not sure it would be wise to send others yet. Those Muggles will react poorly with even one witch such as myself at their door."

"I am sure that they will understand that we only intrude in order to ensure Harry's safety."

Pursing her lips, she said nothing else until she threw some floo powder in her fireplace and called out; "The Cattery."

She stepped into Arabella Figg's house and quickly brushed off the woman's questions. "No time, Arabella, I'm sorry," she said, before Apparating just outside the wards of Number Four Privet Drive.

She drew her wand as she strode purposefully to the front door and knocked.

"YOU!" the fat Muggle yelled at her after he opened the door.

"I've come to see Harry. Now, where is he?" McGonagall said. She had no time for any of his foolish blustering now.

"He's gone! And good riddance I say!"

"GONE?" she screeched. "Gone where?"

Minerva pushed past him and into the house, searching for any signs of Harry, or anything that might have given a clue as to what had happened.

As she walked into the living room, she saw Petunia. "Where's Harry?"

"He's not here, he left–" she started to say before Vernon's bellows interrupted.

"I WANT YOU OUT OF MY HOUSE! I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU LOT. GET OUT! YOU WANT THE GOOD-FOR-NOTHING, USELESS FREAK, YOU HAVE HIM! WE DON'T WANT HIM, AND WE WON'T HAVE HIM BACK!"

Minerva's eyes narrowed as she faced the man. It was at times like these that she found it very difficult to understand exactly why Dumbledore had insisted on sending Harry here to grow up, and to have him return again each summer. These people were simply not worth it.

"You foolish Muggle! Having Harry stay here is what protects YOU from the evil wizard and his followers that killed his parents! If he leaves, the blood wards will fail, and your family – Harry's last remaining family members – will be exposed to the Death Eaters. When they find you, they will torture and kill you as an example of what they plan to do to Harry. Or perhaps, they will capture and torture you as bait to lure Harry to them, and _then_ they will kill you.

"There isn't a wizard family I know of that wouldn't be happy to have Harry Potter stay with them, yet he returns here each year to recharge the wards that protect you. Personally, I would rather he live anywhere else under a _Fidelius_ charm, as his parents did."

Vernon had visibly shrunk as McGonagall's words hit him, and it was Petunia who responded, "B–B–But that didn't work, did it? He still f–found them, and… and…"

"That was only because they made the wrong choice of Secret-Keeper. Such a mistake would never happen again, and a Secret-Keeper would, and _should_, die before revealing where Harry was."

The absurdity of that statement struck Vernon. "You're mad, you are. Who would want to die to save him?"

"I would," Minerva replied simply.

"And I," came a voice from behind them. Minerva saw Remus, and then Tonks, and finally Moody come into view.

"A lot of people would, Dursley. You just don't get it, do you? The boy's a hero in our world, and not just for what he did as a baby," Moody said.

"A hero? That boy?" Vernon snorted disbelievingly.

Tonks stepped forward as though about to respond, but Lupin put a hand on her arm to hold her back. As she turned to face him, he just shook his head. McGonagall had already started speaking. "This isn't helping us find out what happened to Harry!" She turned to Petunia. "You were about to tell us where Harry has gone."

"He left with his girlfriend," she replied simply.

_"Girlfriend?"_ McGonagall repeated, not quite believing her ears.

Vernon grunted. "They said they were going to look for a snork axe."

"Wait a minute, Harry has a girlfriend? He never told me about it!" Lupin exclaimed.

"Remus, now is really not the time." Minerva looked back to Petunia. "What else do you know?"

"Well, that girl, Luna, said they were–"

"Wait, Luna? Luna is his girlfriend? I thought Hermione, perhaps, or maybe Ginny... When did he...?"

"Not now, Tonks! Please, Petunia, you were saying…"

"She said they were going to go look for those, those _snork_-thingies. Then this big purple bus came, and they left."

McGonagall looked thoughtful and started to pace. After a while, she nodded to herself as though reaching a decision.

"Mr Dursley, would you and your family take a seat on the sofa over there please. I have something to say to the three of you."

She waited until they were all seated and looking at her, and then spoke, _"Obliviate! Stupefy!"_

"Minerva, what the hell is going on?" Remus yelled, while beside him Tonks just looked curious.

"Smart move!" Moody said, nodding appreciatively.

"What?" Remus said, turning to Moody.

"Use your head, Lupin! You don't want those stupid Muggles telling anyone else what we just heard, do you?" Moody looked at McGonagall, weighing something up.

He carefully placed both hands on the back of a chair he was standing near, before turning back to Lupin. "I think you and Tonks had both better keep your hands in plain sight. I get the feeling Minerva may not be completely done with the _Obliviates_ yet.

Lupin looked over at McGonagall, at the ready way she held her wand and the stern look on her face. "Minerva?" he said.

She gestured with her wand to the other sofa. "Do as Alastor suggested, please, and then the three of you can sit over there while I tell you about a conversation I had with Harry this morning."

They sat quietly while McGonagall told them everything Harry had said in her office, and then what she'd found out while he was on the train back to London.

Moody was the first to say anything. "It was Dumbledore you didn't want them speaking to, wasn't it?" he asked, gesturing at the unconscious Dursleys.

McGonagall nodded. "I have too many questions that don't have answers. The only thing that makes any kind of sense to me is that he is setting up situations to force Harry to become someone that could fight _You-Know-Who_ someday. But if he isn't discussing his plans with me, then who is he seeking counsel from?"

"Not me, lass," Moody replied, "and if he hasn't spoken with either of us, then there isn't anyone else I could name except…"

"Severus," Minerva said.

"Oh, shite! That bloody tosser hates Harry, not to mention he was a marked Death Eater!" Tonks yelled.

"Tonks, we don't know that he is talking with Severus about this, but I know Albus trusts him. In any case, whatever the headmaster's plans are for Harry, they rarely seem to take the boy's needs into account."

"Albus always has his eye on the big picture," Moody agreed after Remus finished speaking. "You can count on him doing what he thinks is for the 'greater good', even if it might make Harry unhappy. I honestly don't believe he means any harm to the boy."

Nobody spoke for a while as they pondered the problem in their laps.

Tonks was the first to break the silence, "Harry does have a point, you know. I mean, if he is meant to defeat Vol– _him_ – then shouldn't he be getting some combat training?"

McGonagall's eyes brightened a little. "Would the three of you be surprised to learn that Harry was teaching Defence at Hogwarts for most of this year?"

"You're shittin' me!" Tonks exclaimed.

"I _kid_ you not," McGonagall replied in a rebuking tone. "I learned that due to Dolores's absurd teaching, which, to coin another teacher's phrase, involved _'no foolish wand waving_', Harry and Miss Granger took it upon themselves to teach Defence to a group of about thirty students.

"You must be shittin' me?" Tonks said in disbelief.

"I understand that quite a number of them were able to achieve a corporeal Patronus before Dolores found out about it." McGonagall smirked.

"Oh, now I know you're having me on!" Tonks said, sounding slightly annoyed. "How would Harry be able to teach kids how to cast a Patronus?"

"He's been casting them himself since he was thirteen…" Remus said absently. "Sirius told me that he drove off over a hundred Dementors with his stag Patronus in his third year. Actually. I'm surprised you didn't know; I thought he was telling everyone, or maybe it was just Snape."

McGonagall spoke up before Tonks could respond. "From what I've heard from Madam Marchbanks, there is quite the statistical anomaly with the Defence grades. Nearly thirty students have achieved an Outstanding grade, or close enough to it on their practicals, while the rest of the students have either barely passed or failed outright. I had to do some very fast talking to explain it. In the end, she said she could believe me because Harry's practical score is the highest ever recorded for Defence."

Tonks gaped between the two of them, before sighing. "So he's the real deal then, isn't he?" She straightened her shoulders. "I suppose I already knew it after seeing him at the Ministry and all. Alright, so what's the plan then?"

"I intend to offer to train Harry," McGonagall replied. "I had also thought of talking to Filius when I see him. His knowledge of Charms far exceeds my own, and let us not forget that he was a duelling master in his day."

"As long as he can be trusted to keep it to himself, I think that's an excellent idea," Tonks said. Moody nodded approvingly at her caution.

"What about you three?" McGonagall asked.

"I'm in," Tonks said immediately, followed shortly after by the others as well.

"Needless to say, I don't think Albus needs to know any of this," McGonagall said.

"Nope, he doesn't," Tonks agreed, and then smirked. "He's going to go spare when he finds out what's happened to his plans for Harry's break, isn't he?"

"Well, I'm sure you know what Burns had to say about the best laid schemes, or plans, if you will," McGonagall said, smiling slightly as Remus nodded.

"So what now, we all head over to the Lovegoods' house, or what?" Tonks asked.

"I suspect that Harry's trust has taken something of a blow in the last few days. I'm sure the sight of four people known to be working for the Order will put him on edge, and possibly provoke a more extreme reaction before we get a chance to say our piece," McGonagall said.

"No worries; I know just what we need to do," Tonks said with a smile.

~o~

Emma Granger was more than a little concerned.

She'd been in an outright panic when Hermione's professor had told her about the injuries she'd sustained just before the end of term. What on earth was going on at that school when a handful of children were fighting terrorists? She still didn't know the full story.

She was greatly relieved when told a few days ago that the various potions Hermione had been taking had done their job well, and she was completely healed.

But now it seemed that Hermione was about to be hurt again.

From the many letters she'd received from her daughter, she had suspected that sooner or later her daughter would write and tell her that she was now dating Harry Potter.

Other than a couple of letters about someone called Victor in her fourth year, the only other boy she'd ever really written about was Ron Weasley. Since most of the time she was ranting about how much he infuriated her at the time, she doubted any romance would develop there. Well, not a healthy one anyway.

Which left Harry. The boy clearly cared for her from his body language, but it looked like that Luna girl had swooped in and stolen him away from her, before Hermione had even decided whether she wanted him.

But had she realised it now?

The drive home from the café had been quiet, when usually Hermione would have been talking non-stop about what she'd learned over the year, and how her end-of-year exams had gone.

Then when they'd arrived home, she'd taken her trunk up to her room, and pleading tiredness, had decided to take a nap before dinner.

"Penny for them?"

She looked over at her husband, and took the wineglass he offered her. She followed him into the living room and joined him on the sofa, taking a sip of her wine before answering his earlier question.

"I was just wondering whether Hermione was going to let him go, or fight for him."

"Are you certain she even wants him that way?" Dan asked. "He is her best friend, you know – that may be all she wants."

"You were my best friend," she reminded him. "Do I need to make you sit through _'When Harry Met Sally'_ again?"

He grinned. "Mm, yes… Yes, yes... YES!"

"Stop it! I'm trying to be serious here. How are we going to help her with this?"

"Love, I don't know that she is going to want any interference here. She might only love Harry as a best friend or substitute brother. I vote we listen when she's ready to talk, give her as much support as we can, and try not to interfere. She won't thank us for sticking our noses in when we don't know the whole story."

Emma put her glass down on the coffee table and moved to sit in her husband's lap. "How did I get so lucky with you?" she asked, nuzzling his neck.

"Hmm, well, nothing comes from nothing, so somewhere in your youth or childhood, you must have done something good."

She bit him gently. "I told you to stop that," she said, as she could feel him chuckling.

The doorbell rang.

Emma sighed. She was getting comfortable too.

She opened the door to see the pink-haired witch from the train station bouncing on her toes at the door.

"Hullo, Mrs Granger, can Hermione come out to play?" she asked with a wide grin.

"Now's not the time, Tonks!" said a rather grizzled-looking man that came stomping into view.

"Might we come in? We really do need to speak with her rather urgently." Emma recognised Professor McGonagall and waved the group inside.

McGonagall handled the introductions, as she knew everyone, and Emma met Tonks, Alastor Moody and Remus Lupin.

"Where is your daughter, Mrs Granger?" Moody asked

"I'm here," Hermione said from a doorway. Emma noticed she was holding her wand in hand, something she never did while at home.

She noticed something else almost immediately. Hermione didn't seem very surprised to see them, and wasn't asking them any questions. She'd have bet almost anything that the first words out of her mouth would be something like, 'is there something wrong with Harry?'

"Good girl," Moody said approvingly. "It's about time people started practicing Constant–"

"Yes, Alastor, we know!" McGonagall said before turning to Hermione. "Miss Granger, if you would be so kind as to take a seat, I assure you that you will not need your wand, but by all means keep it in hand if you like."

Hermione considered that for a while, then nodded and moved to the sofa and sat down and waited. She kept her wand ready, which did not go unnoticed.

Moody grinned. "Oh, I do like her!"

"Shush, Alastor," McGonagall chided him. "Now, Miss Granger, you may be aware that Harry and I had a… a discussion this morning."

"Yes, he told me all about it," Hermione replied.

"I thought as much. Well, in short, I was forced to do a little soul-searching and research, and while I don't know everything yet, we do want to help him with at least one of the issues he raised."

"Which one?"

"We want to help him train so that he can defeat _You-Know-Who._"

Hermione's face turned white and she nearly fainted. Her wand fell from her suddenly limp hand onto the floor.

"Oh, shite, he didn't tell her _everything_," Tonks said, dashing towards the girl and kneeling on the floor in front of her. She looked over her shoulder at the group. "Well, get a bucket in case she throws up. MOVE!"

"Come on, Hermione," Tonks grabbed Hermione's now ice-cold hands in her own and started rubbing them. "Come on, luv, breathe with me now; you're starting to hyperventilate." She held one of Hermione's hands to her chest below her breasts. "Just think about your breathing for the moment – in and out, just like me. That's it."

Emma came over with a warm flannel, sat beside her daughter on the sofa and started wiping her forehead and cheeks gently.

After a while, Hermione's colour returned and she started to sob. Tonks reached forward and held her in a hug, while Emma leaned in and stroked her back.

When it seemed the worst of the tears had passed, Tonks pulled back and held Hermione's head in her hands and smiled at her. "Come on, Hermione, you're worrying your poor old mum to death over there."

Hermione nodded and turned and shared a hug with her mother once Tonks let her go. "Why is it always Harry?" she asked her mother, but Emma didn't have any answers for her.

Hermione sat back after a minute, and Emma handed her the flannel she'd used before. She took it and wiped her face to clear away her tears.

Hermione looked around to see that Professor McGonagall had taken the same spot on the floor in front of her that Tonks had held a minute before. There were tears in her eyes as she reached for Hermione's hands, much as Tonks had done earlier, and held them.

"I am so, so sorry, Miss Granger. I made a dreadful mistake in assuming that Harry had told you about the…" She broke off.

"It's that damn prophecy, isn't it?" Hermione asked, guessing the reason for the pause.

McGonagall nodded.

"When did Harry find out about it?"

"After the Ministry…"

Hermione let out a scream of rage. "OF ALL THE UTTERLY _STUPID_ THINGS I'VE EVER HEARD! WHAT ABSOLUTE _MORON_ THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO LAY THAT BURDEN ON HIM AFTER HE'D JUST LOST HIS GODFATHER? IT'S NO WONDER HE'S BEEN WALKING AROUND SCHOOL LIKE HIS SOUL'S BEEN RIPPED OUT! WHAT IS _WRONG_ WITH YOU PEOPLE?"

McGonagall couldn't meet her eyes

"Hermione, luv, none of us knew anything until today," Tonks said. "In fact, we still don't really know anything other than what Harry told Professor McGonagall this morning – that he thinks he has to _vanquish the Dark Lord_. It's possible that he's got it wrong."

Hermione considered that and looked at her professor. "But you don't think he's got it wrong or made it up, do you?"

McGonagall wanted to deny it, but couldn't, and just shook her head.

"You said something about wanting to help him train. I want in. You can train me as well."

"Hermione…" her mother began

"I'm doing this!" She stared around the room daring anyone to defy her.

"Miss Granger…" McGonagall began.

"Hermione," Hermione interrupted.

"I beg your pardon?"

"We're out of school now, and in my home. Please call me Hermione."

"Hermione, I would be happy to train you."

At the other end of the room, Lupin turned to Tonks and whispered, "Gang aft agley?"

She shrugged. "Somehow I couldn't see her staying behind, could you?"

Lupin sighed "No, you're right, not really something she'd do." He chuckled as something occurred to him. "I'm not sure that Luna will be as happy about the change in plans, though."

Tonks shook her head slowly, "I'm staying right away from that one, old wolf, and I think you should as well."

Professor McGonagall turned to the elder Grangers. "What do the two of you know about Harry's plans for this summer?"

"Other than it seems he is spending it with that blonde girl, Luna? Nothing at all," Dan replied.

"I think you have a couple of choices to make," said McGonagall, "and I'm afraid they need to be made quite soon. You could be helped to forget what you know about Harry, or–"

"Professor, you will NOT _Obliviate_ my parents!"

"Or," McGonagall continued, as though no interruption had occurred, "you could join us on holidays. I think the latter option is best all round. In fact, I think it's the safest option given _You-Know-Who's_ return."

"Call him Voldemort," Hermione said. "Or Tom Riddle."

"Have I told you how much I like that girl? Moody said to Lupin, grinning from his spot near the living room door.

"Where are we going on holidays?" Dan asked the professor.

"I have absolutely no idea! I know little more than you do as it happens, which is what has brought us all here to your house tonight."

Everyone turned to look at Hermione.

She sighed. "Well, looks like the original plan has pretty much _gang aft agley_!" she said and paused as a number of her visitors started chuckling.

"What?"

"Nothing, luv, you go right on ahead while this lot has their little chuckle," Tonks said, smirking.

"Well, it was Luna that came up with the plan…"

~o~


	8. Chapter 8: The Deputy Headmistress

**Thoughts of Pudding by Brian64.**

**Chapter 8: The Deputy Headmistress.**

_Sunday 23__rd__ June, 1996.  
_  
Dumbledore sat behind his desk trying to concentrate on the parchment in front of him, A pile of similar parchments were in a large tray on his desk; proof that being a headmaster wasn't all pumpkin juice and lemon drops,

Any other wizard would have been pacing around the room worriedly, but Dumbledore's only concession to his anxiety was the lack of attention he gave the document in front of him.

The others should have reported in nearly two hours ago.

When he hadn't heard from Minerva or any of the others he'd sent to Privet Drive, he had made the journey himself, wand at the ready, to see what he could learn.

He'd found no disturbance at the Dursleys' house, nor any sign of Harry Potter, or of his order members. The Dursleys had not seen any 'freaks', the boy included, and had only a vague awareness that Harry wouldn't be spending the summer with them.

His subtle Legilimency confirmed they believed what they were telling him, as well as the unmistakable traces of memory modification.

Leaving Privet Drive, he apparated to the Burrow; the most likely place for Harry to be. Finding nothing unexpected, he asked the Weasleys to contact him should they hear anything, and then apparated to Grimmauld Place.

A quick search showed the place to be empty of all but Kreacher, who was simply sitting cross-legged in front of Walburga Black's portrait, rocking backwards and forwards.

Albus frowned as a thought occurred to him. With Sirius now dead, there was some uncertainty about who now owned Grimmauld Place. Though he had his suspicions, he realised that prudence dictated that they should avoid using the house until ownership had been firmly established. Should the wrong sort of person take possession unexpectedly, a Malfoy for example, it could be disastrous for any order members present at the time.

Realising that the others may already have returned to his office, he used the fireplace to floo back to Hogwarts and wait for word to reach him.

~o~

He looked down again at the parchment that was barely attracting his attention. Fudge seemed to think that there was merit in still having a high inquisitor based at Hogwarts, though at least conceding that Madam Umbridge might not be the best person for the job and was suggesting someone named Weatherby instead.

He was about to put it aside when green flames filled his fireplace and Minerva McGonagall stepped into his office.

"Minerva, I am pleased to see that you appear unharmed. I was quite concerned for you and the others."

"I am fine thank you, Albus, as are the others you sent over," she said, brushing off a trace of ash as she moved to the chair in front of Albus's desk. She took a seat at his gesture.

"Do you know where Harry is, as he is no longer at Privet Drive, if indeed he even returned there? I am most concerned for his safety."

Minerva regarded him steadily before replying. "Would you like to tell me why, Albus? Why Harry's safety as opposed to, say, Ginny Weasley? She was possessed by Tom Riddle's memory in her first year, so it would be unlikely in the extreme that Tom would not have found out what happened to his diary from Lucius."

Albus regarded his deputy over his half-moon spectacles, but did not say anything.

"Albus, is Harry _the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord_?"

Now Albus did react. His eyes widened slightly before returning to his usual implacable gaze. "What has Harry told you, Minerva?" he asked.

Minerva looked angry now. "Never mind what Harry told me, Albus. I want to hear it from you! How many years, Albus? How many years? I fought in the order with you during his first rise, why would you keep this from me?"

Albus sighed. "As I said not so very long ago to Harry, I have made many mistakes lately regarding him, and–"

Minerva interrupted him, "No, Albus, that isn't anywhere _near_ good enough! I let you talk me into leaving him with those damnable Muggles almost 15 years ago. Do you have _any_ idea what he went through there?"

Albus looked a little abashed, "I knew it would be difficult for him without his parents, or learning anything of the magical world until he got his Hogwarts letter, but…"

"No, Albus, do you know what those disgusting Muggles did to him; how they treated him?"

He frowned slightly at what her words and tone implied; _'Did to him?'_ he wondered. "No, Minerva, I am not aware of his treatment at the Dursleys, Why?"

"Why?" she spat out, standing and beginning to pace in her anger. "I told you what they were like, but you insisted he had to stay there anyway. Did you never once think to check up on him? If you had you would have learned why for yourself!

"That poor boy was treated worse than a Malfoy house elf! Never shown any love or care, and never having heard a kind word. He would have been better off being raised in a muggle orphanage; then at least he would have had other children to play with!"

She stalked to in front of Albus and leaned over the desk. "He would also have had a bedroom or dorm to grow up in, and not a damn cupboard under the stairs! What were you thinking?" she demanded angrily.

Albus dropped his eye contact in dismay, and brought a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose behind his glasses.

"If Molly ever finds out what I've learned today, Albus, I honestly don't know what she'll do. You best hope Miss Granger never learns either. Having been on the receiving end of her wrath already today, misplaced as it was, I can guarantee you that it will not be pleasant."

Albus looked up, and appeared to wipe moisture from the corners of his eyes as he removed his hand from his face. "Miss Granger? Then Harry is with the Grangers now?"

He started to stand and found himself looking at Minerva's wand. Fawkes let out a small cry of protest from where he stood on his perch, perhaps frustrated that he couldn't do more. He was still growing from his recent rebirth as a result of taking the killing curse for Albus at the ministry.

"We have not yet finished our discussion, Albus. Where Harry Potter is now is not presently your concern. Whether you learn where he is, or have any say in what happens to him from now on will depend in part upon how this conversation goes. And before you try to read it from my mind, Alastor removed the specific memory of his location before I came here."

Albus sighed and sat down. "More of his constant vigilance I suppose?"

"It was my idea actually, but he seemed quite pleased with it."

Albus actually smiled very slightly. "I expect he was."

Minerva smiled slightly as well in reply. "Indeed, I almost expected him to hand around cigars."

Minerva sighed and put her wand away, and retook her seat. "Albus, we have been friends for far too long, and have been through too much together for things to fall apart completely. But I meant what I said before. I will not let you anywhere near Harry unless you can convince me why I should."

Albus frowned. "I would not want you to take this the wrong way, Minerva, as I have no intention of dismissing your concerns, nor the obvious need to rebuild our friendship, but…are you sure that you could prevent me from contacting Harry, or that it would be for the best if you could?"

"Could I? Albus, it is already done. He is out of your hands. Whether he returns to Hogwarts, _ever_, will depend on what oaths I can obtain from you between now and September First. There are many other magical schools around the world as you are well aware – not to mention he is quite capable of affording private tutors."

She paused and looked over at him. "You do realise, that although we might like to think we are the premier magical school, the reality is that the ghost we have teaching History focuses far too much on Goblin rebellions, our Defence professors have been largely abysmal since Harry started, and as for potions–"

"Severus is the most talented potions master in the country!" Albus interrupted.

"That may very well be the case, Albus, but that is hardly relevant if he lacks either the ability or the inclination to teach students any part of his skill. Harry challenged me to review the punishments and points awarded and removed during his classes. I was thoroughly shocked at the outcome of my investigation. I _strongly_ suggest you investigate as well."

She waited for his nod in agreement before continuing, "Since you have been far too lenient with him, I will, as Deputy Headmistress, take over his supervision. He _will_ follow appropriate teaching methods, and he _will_ behave professionally to _all_ students, or I will dismiss him."

Albus opened his mouth as though to interrupt her tirade, but she didn't pause long enough to let him.

"I will make him aware of this and inform him that he is on probation. He will almost certainly then demand to speak with you. You will then explain that your hands are tied, and direct him to follow my directions as I have explained them. Are we agreed?"

"Minerva, it is more complicated than that. You know that Severus's role as a spy requires him to do certain things to maintain his cover."

"I am not fully convinced that he is spying for you, but whether he is or not is irrelevant. This is a school, not a military academy, and our students must come first! He will follow the rules now and I will review all points and detentions he allocates while he is on probation. He will also be required to accept NEWT potions students that have grades of _Exceeds Expectations_ or better from now on."

"Minerva I–"

"This is not up for debate! Have you forgotten that Healers and Aurors need a Potions NEWT? Why do you imagine we have so few Aurors? It is entirely _your_ fault, Albus! You have allowed him to dictate that unnecessary requirement for an Outstanding OWL, and have allowed him to teach only a handful of NEWT students each year. Not all of them even _want_ to be Aurors!"

"How do you–"

"Because I spoke with Tonks, that's how! Between Fudge's failure to boost Auror funding due to Malfoy's bribes and the lack of available applicants thanks to Severus, the Auror numbers are at dangerously low levels. How could you allow this to happen?"

Albus removed his glasses, and ran his hand over his face and head, as though trying to massage out some tension while he considered her words. After a short while he replaced his glasses and looked back at her.

"I will agree with your demands regarding Severus. I will inform him when he speaks with me that you have my complete confidence, and he is to follow your directions. What do you wish to discuss next?"

"I wish to hear the prophecy now."

Albus didn't reply, but instead got up and removed his pensieve. Placing his wand to his temple, he withdrew a silvery strand and placed it into the stone bowl, then activated the memory.

A silvery image of Sibyl Trelawney rose from the bowl and recited the prophecy. When it was over, he replaced the memory back in his head, and put the pensieve away.

Minerva sat thoughtfully for a moment, digesting what she'd just heard. Eventually she spoke, "Was that prophecy the reason the Potters went into hiding?

Albus nodded.

"Do you know what _'the power he knows not'_ is?

"I believe it is most likely his power to love so deeply. Tom could not abide his touch during his first year, nor could he stay in his mind when he tried to possess him at the ministry recently.

"And how long have you held this belief that love was _the_ _power_?"

"I suspected it shortly after hearing the prophecy in fact. It occurred to me that whatever _the power_ was, it would be something that Tom would be incapable of knowing, rather than something as random as a spell, or a weapon that he didn't yet know."

Minerva looked at him with a look of shock. "I… think your reasoning is sound. It does seem to make sense." She shook her head, before nearly growling out her next words, "And do you finally realise now, that leaving him in a loveless home as you did, and forcing him to tolerate Severus's childish behaviour and Malfoy's taunts year after year, while making _no effort_ to ensure that he received any experience with his _'power'_ that you may very well have doomed us all?"

Albus looked at her in horror, as though only now realising the point she had been trying to make the whole time.

"Were it not for the Weasleys and a handful of others, I'd say we would not have been able to keep even the flicker of hope alive these last few years, and now… now with Sirius's passing, that flicker has all but died. His hope for a future _home_ died with him."

She looked across at Albus, her eyes blazing in anger. "Do you see what your foolish plans have wrought? What do you suppose he can look forward to now? What bright future will inspire him to risk his life in defence of the world that either loves or hates him depending on the latest story in the _Daily Prophet_?

"I'll tell you, Albus, it will be for his friends, and for them alone that he will strive. And if you try to manipulate him again, then do not be surprised if he simply uses his wealth to move himself and all of the people he cares about overseas, into hiding, and well out of Tom's reach."

Albus looked at her, and started nodding as he understood the truth of what she was saying. "Your argument is very persuasive. What would you have me do, Minerva?"

"For now, I simply want your assurance that you will leave Harry and his friends alone. Whatever you can think of that will help, you can discuss with me. I will encourage Harry to accept your advice and even your direct aid where I can, but I make no promises."

Albus nodded, "I'm beginning to understand, Minerva," he said, before sighing. "I thought the worst was behind me after he destroyed my office. It seems that was only the tip of the iceberg."

He steepled his fingers and tapped them against his chin. "I do have an idea of how I might be of assistance in the short term. If you will give me a few days, I will compile some memories and place them in my pensieve. You can then take it to Harry, and perhaps it will serve in lieu of any more direct help."

Minerva smiled at him. "I think that is an excellent idea." She thought for a moment before continuing, "A pensieve would be invaluable as a training tool. Would it be possible for you to locate another one for Harry? I'm sure you will need yours back long before we would no longer have a use for it."

Albus waved the suggestion off. "Do not give it another thought, Minerva, My pensieve is now Harry's. His need is far greater than mine, and perhaps it will also help to show my remorse at my actions. How shall I contact you when I have stored the memories?"

"Could you have everything ready Friday evening?"

Albus nodded, "I shall endeavour to do so."

"In that case, Albus, I shall join you for dinner at 6 this Friday evening, and I will fill you in as much as I can on how things are progressing." She looked at him intently, "Is there anything else I should know before we part?"

Albus shook his head, "I do not believe there is anything we need discuss now. We do of course have a vacancy to fill in Defence, but that can wait until Friday if you like."

"Why not simply hire Kingsley or even Tonks? For that matter, you hired Alastor a couple of years ago, why not hire him again? Honestly, Albus, I don't see why you must make things more difficult than they need to be. None of the order members are doing anything as important as training our children to defend themselves. You should be able to talk Amelia into stealing one of her Aurors with that argument alone, despite how short-handed she is."

"I had thought of hiring Horace back again actually."

"Horace? Horace Slughorn?" she asked, before frowning. "I know he was a good potions professor but…Oh no, Albus, you aren't seriously thinking of…" she shook her head.

"Absolutely not! Talk to Amelia and let me know what she says on Friday," she said firmly.

Albus nodded slowly, "Very well then, Minerva, I shall see you on Friday." He stood up as she started to move towards his fireplace. "And if I should need to reach you before Friday?"

She thought about it for a moment, "You can leave a message with the Weasleys. I shall see you on Friday. We can arrange the oaths then."

"If you still think that is necessary, Minerva, then I shall of course comply."

Minerva frowned. "We haven't even covered anything like half of the problems you've caused, Albus. I'm warning you, if you try anything, we will leave and you will not find us. At that point, you had better hope the prophecy is false because as far as the wizarding world will be concerned, Harry Potter will cease to exist."

"Do you truly believe Harry would leave all of the other students to Tom's mercies? Would _you_ truly leave them?"

Minerva scowled at the man. "You cannot help yourself can you? Even now, after all I've just said, your urge to manipulate people is so ingrained, that I wonder if you even know how to stop. You'll fight tooth and nail to try and redeem people like Severus and young Malfoy for a chance at turning them from the dark path they are on. Yet, you'll sacrifice good people like Harry and his friends with barely a pause. I sometimes wonder if I truly know you at all."

She stalked to the fireplace. "Do not test my resolve on this, Albus! And you're right; I no longer think an oath will be required."

Albus inclined his head. "Thank you, Minerva."

"I will accept nothing less than an unbreakable vow!"

She threw some floo powder into the fireplace, and quietly said, "The Leaky Cauldron" before stepping through.

After stepping out of the fireplace at the Leaky Cauldron, she immediately apparated away again, without a word of greeting to anyone.

On arriving at her new destination, she waved her wand in a complicated pattern in order to check for any tracking charms. After ensuring she was clear, she then activated a portkey and vanished.

~o~


	9. Chapter 9: The Black Tower

**Thoughts of Pudding by Brian64.**

**Chapter 9: The Black Tower.**

_Sunday 23rd June, 1996._

_Earlier…_

Harry watched his head of house as she touched her wand to a ring she wore with the Gryffindor coat of arms, and said "_Portus!_" The ring glowed blue for a moment and satisfied with her spell work she called to Moody.

"Alastor, you'll need to come with me for the first hop. I can't be here when you cast the _Obliviate_."

She looked over at the student and meeting his eyes, she gave him a brief smile before she and Moody apparated away with a distinctive pop.

Harry stretched out and leaned his head on the back of the sofa he was sitting on, staring at the ceiling and trying to calm his thoughts. He'd barely begun when he heard the pop of Moody returning and he looked up, alert again.

"It's done. She's on her way." Moody said to the room in general.

Harry leaned back again, and after letting out a breath he didn't know he'd held at Moody's return, he closed his eyes and went back to trying to process recent events.

"She'll be fine, Harry, you don't have to worry about her." He heard Luna say.

He opened his eyes, only to see her looking down at him. She was standing behind the low sofa, and so appeared to be upside down from his perspective. He smiled at her in appreciation for her reassurance, and closed his eyes again.

A moment later he felt someone sit down next to him and claim his left arm. _'Luna'_ he thought, and squeezed the hand now holding his own. The low buzz of conversation was drifting over from elsewhere in the room, though he didn't pay it much attention.

More relaxed now, he thought back to the last time he felt like he'd been keeping up with the events going on around him today. While certainly a day that he'd remember for some time to come, he hadn't really felt as though he'd fallen down the rabbit hole until seeing Luna sitting on her trunk at Privet Drive.

He smiled at the thought of Luna dressed as Alice and wearing a frilly white apron, but couldn't help but grin insanely as he imagined Luna's dad wearing a top hat. He was perfect for the role as the Mad Hatter. For all he knew maybe the Knight Bus had travelled through the Looking Glass on the way from Privet Drive to here.

~o~

If anyone had asked Harry Potter what he thought Luna's home looked like, he'd have simply shrugged his reply. After all, he never sat around thinking about what people's houses might look like, nor did he ask them.

On the other hand, if he'd been given a sheet of parchment and assigned the question as homework, his professors would probably have returned it to him graded at least _Exceeds Expectations_, possibly even an _Outstanding_ if he'd correctly guessed that her house looked like a black tower.

_'The house was just so…Luna!'_ He'd thought to himself once he'd been shown around it.

After getting off the Knight bus, he and Luna had walked along the twisty path leading to the Lovegoods' front door.

Reading the signs, he'd picked some mistletoe, and made a note to avoid stepping on any dirigible plums. As he had no idea what a dirigible plum was, he'd just resolved to keep off just about everything.

Luna had led the way into the circular black building and he'd found himself, unsurprisingly, in a large circular room. It was a kitchen, and every appliance and surface was covered with pictures of flowers, insects and birds painted in bright colours that assaulted his vision and seemed to say quite clearly; _'wake up and live happy!'_

She'd shown him the rest of her house, then left him to sit and relax in the cluttered living room while she disappeared downstairs.

When she didn't return after a while, he descended the stairs back into the kitchen in search of her.

While not perfect, his timing was fortunate as Luna was just coming in the back door. She was struggling with a huge basket of vegetables which showed the obvious signs of having just been collected from her garden.

He rushed over and helped her lift the basket onto the kitchen counter. "You should have asked me to help" he chided her gently.

"You're right, I'm sorry Harry," she replied, surprising him. He'd more-or-less expected to be told that she could manage by herself or something like that. That she would recognise that it made sense for him to help, being larger and stronger, never really occurred to him. He resolved to try and pay more attention to what he said around her.

Luna set a large pot of water to start heating on the stove, and deftly threw in various herbs and spices. Taking his cue from her, Harry began washing, peeling and cutting vegetables for what looked to be enough vegetable soup to feed a small army.

Luna meanwhile had started preparing dough to bake some fresh bread, and as Harry watched her from the corner of his eye, he revised his opinion about being stronger. He'd made enough bread to know how tiring kneading could get, and Luna was attacking it like a professional.

Seeing that he'd finished with the vegetables, she floured another section of the counter, and set him to work on some bread dough of his own.

He was getting into the rhythm of it, working quietly alongside Luna when he heard her say "hello. Hermione. Would you like to make some bread too? You can tell us all about Plan C at the same time."

Harry looked up and over to the front door as soon as Luna had mentioned Hermione's name, and was now gaping a little at the sight of her standing there.

Hermione in turn had looked a little amused at the domestic scene she'd walked in on, courtesy of an open front door. When Luna mentioned 'Plan C' though, she re-evaluated her new friend's intelligence upwards yet again. Luna truly deserved to be a Ravenclaw.

Grinning at their flour coated hands and forearms, she walked over and gave them each a partial-hug from behind and greeted them properly.

After washing her hands at the sink, she walked around to the other side of the island counter they were working at, and started kneading the dough Luna had pushed over to her.

Luna herself started working on a different pastry, and Harry's experienced eye guessed she was going to be making a fruit pie or two.

"I'm not sure where to really start…" Hermione began. "Harry, I know Luna was going to take you with them to Sweden, but it seems that conversation you had with Professor McGonagall has had some, umm, unexpected results."

Harry grimaced. He knew it was too good to be true.

"Oh no, Harry, you're still going with Luna if that's what you were thinking. It's just that you might have a little more company on the trip – if that's alright with you both," she said a little nervously, before adding "and your father as well, Luna."

Luna let out a little squeal of delight, and ignoring her sticky hands, ran around the counter to hug Hermione.

"That would be wonderful, Hermione. I can't believe I'll have both my new best friends on holiday with me!" she exclaimed happily.

Hermione cleared her throat nervously. "There's more. Some other people would like to join us as well; my parents, and…" she trailed off and looked over at Harry, not really knowing how to continue.

Harry looked at her, "Hermione, you're just the messenger, right?" She nodded. "Well then," he continued, "I'm not about to hex the messenger. What's got you so nervous?"

Hermione looked down at her dough. She really wished they could be sitting down for this.

Luna grabbed a couple of bowls and tea towels and handed them to the others. "Let's sit down and have a chat while we let the dough rise" she said, throwing a tea towel over the pastry she'd started to keep it from drying out too much.

A few minutes later, they were sitting with clean hands on some chairs in the living room.

"Harry, Professor McGonagall came to visit me with Tonks, Professor Lupin and Professor Moody. They'd been sent by Dumbledore to the Dursleys to check up on you. Professor McGonagall said that she'd _obliviated_ the Dursleys of you and Luna, so that Dumbledore wouldn't be able to find out where you were."

Harry looked shocked. "She did that?"

"There's more Harry. Professor McGonagall said that she'd looked into all of the things you'd told her, and…and…"

Harry moved over to sit next to Hermione. Whatever his friend was trying to say was upsetting her.

"Harry," she almost whispered, "are you really the one that has to fight V-Voldemort?"

Harry closed his eyes and then lowered his head. He hadn't wanted to tell his friends, but that choice had been taken out of his hands. He looked up at her watery eyes and nodded.

"Harry, would…would you tell us the prophecy please?" she asked.

He didn't need a pensieve for this. The words had burned into his memory when he'd heard them in Dumbledore's office just over a week ago. He nodded, and then recited the prophecy.

"_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches, born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives… the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…_"

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione said, then sobbed into his chest as she wrapped him in a hug, as though determined to hold him there and prevent him from going off to challenge Voldemort.

He started stroking her hair and trying to shush her, then looked over her head to see how Luna was taking the news on the other sofa. She smiled at him serenely, and didn't seem surprised by what she'd just heard.

Hermione eventually calmed down, and started berating herself for losing control again. "I'm sorry, Harry, I really thought I had prepared myself for this, but… it's just… why did it have to be you?"

Harry smiled wryly. "Yeah, it does seem I get more than my fair share doesn't it? Anyway, there was another child that prophecy could have referred to… at first anyway."

Hermione looked at him, with a slight wrinkle in her forehead.

"Neville was the other one." Luna said, her tone not making it clear whether that was a question or an answer.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, up until he gave me this scar, it could have been Neville."

They all sat quietly with their thoughts for a while, before Hermione broke the silence.

"Umm, Harry, Professor McGonagall said that she wanted to train you. Tonks, and Professors Lupin and Moody want to help too. Professor Flitwick may join us as well, but they haven't had a chance to talk to him yet."

Harry thought about that for a minute. It was what he wanted wasn't it? Something didn't quite add up though.

"So…how can I still be going to Sweden then if I'm going to be training with them?"

Hermione looked at him as though surprised at the question, then reminded herself that Harry was used to things going wrong for him.

She smiled. "They'll be coming with us to Sweden to train us of course."

Harry frowned. "Train _us_?"

Hermione had expected his likely reaction, and had prepared her response well in advance. She glared at him. "Harry James Potter! I do hope you aren't planning on hogging this wonderful opportunity for training all to yourself! I thought we were your friends? Don't you want us to be able to defend ourselves if we need to?"

He rushed to reassure her that of course they were, and during his hasty hug in apology, she looked over at Luna and winked at her, and received a wink back in return.

"Harry, I need to floo Professor McGonagall now so that she and the others can come over and discuss all of this with you. Is that alright? Is there anything else you'd like to talk about before I do?"

He looked over at Luna, who shook her head, then turned back to Hermione. "No, I can't think of anything at the moment. Make your floo call."

Not long afterwards, the kitchen was full of people. In addition to the three teens and the four order members, Hermione's parents had been brought along with them.

After everyone had been greeted, and Tonks and Moody were introduced to Luna, she started to make tea for everyone. Hermione and Emma helped, and then the three of them finished off preparing the bread and pies, and put them in the oven. Dan joined Harry and the order members at the kitchen table.

"Well, Harry, I suppose we should start by asking if you have any questions for us?" Remus asked.

Harry nodded "Yeah, I do, but I don't really know where to start. Up until a little while ago, I thought I was just going to be following Luna and her dad around Sweden looking for Snorkacks, and now it looks as though I'm going to be spending my time training instead."

Moody has already started nodding when Luna's voice called out from the nearby counter. "Not quite, Harry. We're going to be doing both. As much as you need to train, you need a chance to relax even more. So I think we'll start with perhaps an hour or two of training in the mornings, and maybe 3 hours after dinner."

She tilted her head a little as though considering whether that plan was acceptable or not. "Yes, that should work out fine to start. We can look at it again in a week or two. If you've been having enough fun by then we can look at some more time for training." She concluded her declaration with a nod, as though that settled the matter.

Everyone in the room had turned to listen to her, and by the time she had finished there were smirks on the faces of Tonks, Lupin and Dan, and smiles on Hermione's and Minerva's. Emma's expression seemed calculating, while Harry's seemed to flick between amused and surprised.

Moody on the other hand did not seem pleased at all. "Now listen here, girlie, we've got to…"

Minerva interrupted him. "Alastor… it is Harry's decision to make. We are here to offer him our help, not direct how he will spend his summer holiday. I, for one; _like_ Luna's plan."

Harry cleared his throat, and looked around at everyone, then at Luna and smiled at her in appreciation of her standing up for him. "Yeah, I'd like to try Luna's plan to start with and see how it goes."

Alastor started grumbling under his breath at this, and Luna's voice called out again. "Oh, don't worry Mr Moody. No plan survives contact with the enemy."

Moody stared at her with _both_ eyes for a moment, before he started laughing.

When he calmed down he gave Luna an appraising look, then asked "Do you want to tell me how you knew that quotation little lady?"

Luna replied calmly, "At the end of my third year, Harry told everyone that Voldemort had returned. I knew then that we were going to war, and I wanted to know how to do it properly. So I started studying over that summer. I was so glad when Harry started teaching us Defence in the DA this year. We wasted so much time in class with Professor Umbridge, and we really couldn't afford it."

Moody looked at her for a moment, then got up and walked over to her, and extended his hand, which she took. "It's a _real_ pleasure to meet you, Luna," he said, shaking her hand.

He turned to Harry. "You have two excellent friends there, Potter" indicating both Luna and Hermione with nods. "You will take very good care of them, or I will be using you for target practice. Frequently!"

Harry nodded. He had no intention of doing anything else, so it didn't really need saying as far as he was concerned.

"Harry, hand me your wand for a moment please?" Moody asked him.

He did so, and watched as Moody and cast a complicated charm on it using his own wand. Harry watched his Holly wand glow briefly at the end, and then Moody handed it back to him. "There, you won't be seeing any more owls from your friend, Madam Hopkirk. Just don't go casting spells where others might decide to report you though. It's not hard to put the trace back on again."

Harry started to stammer his thanks, but Moody had already turned to the girls to ask for their wands. Once he had cleared each of them of the trace he handed them back to their owners and then turned to listen to McGonagall.

"Harry, I'm going to need to see Professor Dumbledore soon, as he'll have been expecting a report some time ago now. I have no intention of letting him know where you are now, and I will attempt to mislead him as to your intentions. However, we do need to discuss contingency plans in case I cannot convince him to stop meddling in your affairs."

She cleared her throat and then paused, trying to decide how to ask the next question.

"How do you feel about continuing your education overseas or with private tutors if it should become necessary? I believe more than anything else, that the threat of you leaving, perhaps with your closest friends, would get him to agree to work with you, rather than expect you to work at his direction."

Harry blinked, and struggled with the thought. Being given a choice in what he wanted to do was not something he had much practice in.

Unfortunately for him, this was not even one of the hardest questions that Minerva asked him before she left to meet with Dumbledore.

~o~


	10. Chapter 10: An Evening with the Lovegood

**Thoughts of Pudding by Brian64.**

**Chapter 10: An Evening with the Lovegoods.**

_Sunday 23rd June, 1996._

Minerva arrived in the Lovegoods' kitchen shortly after her meeting with the Headmaster, and looked around in some surprise. She didn't recognise the round building she found herself in, but she did know all of the people sitting at an expanded kitchen table.

Moody walked over and touched his wand to her temple briefly, and she felt the block on her memories vanish.

He lowered his wand and nodded as he saw recognition appear in her eyes. "Glad to see you're back in one piece. Go on and take a seat; there's some supper saved for you. You can tell us all about it once you've eaten."

After sitting down, Minerva was handed a bowl of soup and a spoon. Next to her, Remus sliced off some bread, and she took it with thanks when he offered it to her.

The others tried to continue whatever conversations they'd been having before her return, but she could tell they were only trying to kill time until she'd finished eating.

She had intended to eat a little more rapidly than she normally would so that she could tell them about her meeting with Albus, but found herself enjoying her soup too much to do so.

She looked across the table at Luna as she finished. "My compliments, Miss Lovegood, that soup was excellent. I'm certain that someday you'll make your husband a very happy man."

"Yes, I think so too," Luna said, nodding her head in complete agreement.

Minerva noted a smile on Hermione's face at Luna's immodest reply, and a slight frown on Harry's face from where he sat between them. She thought back to Petunia's comment about Luna being Harry's girlfriend, and wondered why Harry would frown, unless…

She schooled her features not to react as she realised that Harry probably imagined Luna making someone else happy, and himself either rejected, or perhaps dead. She again resolved to do whatever she could to see that Harry had the 'happily ever after' that he deserved.

"If you've finished eating, perhaps we could discuss things of greater importance than Luna's qualifications as a potential wife?" Moody asked, sounding annoyed.

Tonks, never one to miss an opportunity, started to respond. "Oh, I dunno Mad-Eye, maybe for some that would be–"

"Alright" Minerva interrupted, and then gave everyone a fairly complete account of the discussion she had had in the headmaster's office.

She looked around at the reactions from the others. Surprise and disappointment seemed to feature prominently, but Moody's was something different.

"Alastor, what is it?" she asked him.

He gave her a stern look. "A man like Albus Dumbledore is used to getting his own way. You've just gone and put the kibosh on his plans for Harry, and in the process threatened to remove him completely and permanently from his control. Not content with that, you're also trying to mess up his plans for Snape and Slughorn and you've also _directed_ him to contact Bones for his new Defence teacher.

"And then, to top it all off, you expect him to take an _unbreakable vow?_" He shook his head and sighed. "Bloody Gryffindors! Big brass ones, but not a skerrick of subtlety in their mostly empty heads."

He turned back to her from the pacing he'd begun. "Alright, I'm coming with you on Friday. I have no idea how Dumbledore is going to react, and I'd rather be there to keep an eye on you. Besides, you'll need someone to be your Bonder assuming he agrees to the vow, which I'd have to say, is about as likely as Snape becoming a poster boy for Hufflepuff."

"Thank you, Alastor," Minerva replied, feeling extremely chastened. In the heat of the moment she'd been filled with righteous ire at Albus, but having had a chance to cool down, and having heard Alastor's summary, she felt more than a little embarrassed at her lack of control. She'd lost her temper with those Muggles earlier today at King's Cross as well, and she wondered how long her guilt would continue to affect her judgement.

She heard Mr Granger clear his throat, and looked over a little surprised as he spoke.

"Mr Moody, how does this affect our plans? Should we think about leaving earlier? Tonight, perhaps?" Dan asked.

Moody nodded approvingly. "That's not a bad idea at all. However, since Xeno only planned to take Luna and Harry with him, the rest of us would have to wait until at least tomorrow so that we can get our own portkey."

"But the professor was able to make a portkey to get back here today, so couldn't she make them herself for us all to get to Sweden?" Dan persisted, looking at Minerva to back him up.

"Making a local portkey isn't so hard once you know how, but I'm afraid international portkeys are quite different. For one thing I would need to have been in the place where I wish to portkey to, and for the other… well, let's just say that once I did know my destination, I would have to be willing to break a few laws."

Not easily discouraged, Dan turned to Luna's father, the slightly cross-eyed man with the flyaway hair that reminded him of Einstein and who had arrived home not too long after they'd arrived themselves. "So, couldn't we all use your portkey then?"

Xenophilius sighed a little. "Well we could, but only if we all wanted to be arrested when we arrived. After I got Luna's owl this morning, I had to take the portkey in to the travel agency at lunch time today to get Harry added. If we use it early, we'll just get a small fine for the inconvenience of changing paperwork, but carrying unauthorised ride-alongs is, as the good lady said, quite against the law."

Dan frowned. There had to be an answer here somewhere. He hated the thought of his family being at risk.

"Mr Lovegood, did you give the agency my name when you had the extra person added to the portkey?" Harry asked.

Xeno's eyes flicked to his daughter before he replied. "I err… I thought it would be best if I just told them that a friend would be joining us."

Dan looked confused. "How does that work if just anyone can show up on a portkey?"

Remus decided to join the conversation, and replied to Dan's question. "That's how it is in the Wizarding world. When people can just apparate or portkey out of a country, there really isn't much point trying to stop them. It's easier to just process arrivals, and make sure they aren't on any arrest lists. Visas for wizards are more of a token gesture than anything else, but law-abiding people have to follow the laws."

Harry finally smiled. "Brilliant! That means you can take Luna and Hermione now, Mr Lovegood, and we'll catch up with you as soon as we can. How much is the fine?" he asked, fumbling in his pockets for his money bag.

Dan shot a relieved smile at Harry, and gave him a grateful nod when he caught his eye.

"Err…" Xeno said, knowing that he was going to be in trouble with his daughter no matter what he said or did now.

"Ouch!" Harry exclaimed, rubbing his side where Hermione had just poked him, hard.

"If anyone needs to get out of here Harry, it is you. So you can forget all about trying to send us off somewhere!" Hermione told him.

"But if Dumbledore does come looking for me, he'll stop looking once he's found me." Harry replied, still rubbing his side.

"I don't trust you to even _follow along_! Once _we're gone_, you'll get some _stupid idea_ that it would be _better for us_ if you went off _somewhere else!_" Hermione said, poking his arm firmly each time she emphasised a point.

Harry tried to stop the guilty look from appearing on his face, but Hermione saw it and nodded in triumph while Harry rubbed his arm.

Harry looked around for some support, but only seemed to find it from Dan and Emma. He glared at Tonks and Lupin who seemed to find his discomfort more than a little amusing.

"I'm staying, Harry, but you should go with Luna. Professor Dumbledore doesn't want me anyway." Hermione said.

Minerva cleared her throat. "Perhaps I can offer a suggestion? Suppose I created emergency portkeys for everyone? Then if we were taken by surprise we could simply portkey away to a safe location. Then all of us can simply leave for Sweden as planned."

"Define 'safe'" Moody demanded.

"Well, I thought perhaps Privet Drive. Dumbledore wouldn't think to look there, and Voldemort can't breach the wards."

Moody nodded. "I like it, except for one problem. If Harry shows up there, Dumbledore's little gadgets will tell him all about it. So if there is an emergency, Harry goes to Sweden with the Lovegoods, while the rest of us go to Surrey. And no, Harry, that is not up for debate."

Realising that this was the best they could do for now, Harry nodded reluctantly, then tried to stifle a yawn.

Lupin chuckled. "I saw that. I think it's past your bedtime, cub."

Harry gave him a hurt look, which Lupin ignored.

"No, Harry, the correct response is 'shove it, Moony!'" Lupin said.

"Shove it, Moony!"

"Much better. Now, Harry, you're going to need to sleep close to the Lovegoods until we're in Sweden. Do you have your portkey close at hand, Xeno?" Lupin asked the man.

"Luna's wearing it," he replied. They all looked over at Luna who smiled and held up her wrist, showing off the charm bracelet she was wearing with a single silver key dangling from it.

"Hermione, you will need to be close to your parents to activate their portkey. In fact, I think we should all plan on dorming up here – with your permission of course, Xeno?" Lupin added.

"Of course, of course. Do we need a bundling charm?" Xeno asked.

Lupin choked. "Err, no, I don't think we need to sleep _quite_ that close. The same room should be fine I think. Most of us aren't sharing portkeys after all."

Tonks looked at Remus. "Did he put you up to this?" she asked, twitching a thumb in Moody's direction. "Or is this just part of your cunning plan to see me in my nightie?"

Harry laughed along with most of the others, pleased that someone else was getting teased besides himself for a change.

"What's a nightie?" Luna asked Tonks, causing the room to go silent.

When Harry started to go red, Tonks couldn't help herself and started laughing.

~o~

A couple of hours later, Minerva got up from the bed she had transfigured from a kitchen chair and joined Tonks at the kitchen table. "It's my turn to watch now. Why don't you get some sleep?"

Tonks nodded. "Yeah, I will in a bit."

She topped up her teacup, and poured some for Minerva before handing the cup to her.

"So tell me about him." Tonks said, nodding at where Harry slept, sharing a king-sized bed with the Lovegoods at Moody's insistence. He'd fallen asleep on his side at the edge of the bed, but now he was on his back with a nightie-clad Luna wrapped around him. Her father was snoring softly on her other side.

"What do you want to know?"

"Oh I dunno, anything I suppose."

"That isn't very helpful," she said, while giving some thought to the question. "Did you know he plays Quidditch?" she eventually asked.

Tonks nodded. "Yeah, he was always talking about it with Ron back at Grimmauld Place. Seeker, right?"

Minerva nodded. "That's right, youngest ever. I watched him chase down another student's Remembrall that your cousin had thrown. He dived fifty feet towards the ground, and caught it, and that was the first time he'd even sat on a broom." She smiled at the memory. "He was so small back then. I really should have guessed what was going on, as neither James nor Lily were as short at his age."

"Don't beat yourself up about it, Min. I could've guessed there was something wrong when I met him at Privet Drive last year. That house was way too clean. At least his room was messy though."

Minerva's lips twitched. "Quite…" she said in response.

"I know what you mean about his flying though. Moody had us flying all over the place dodging gusts of warm air that might have attacked us. Yet Harry stuck to my tail like he was glued there… course, he might have just liked watching my tail," she said, finishing with a grin.

"Nymphadora!" Minerva exclaimed, scandalized at her comment.

Tonks just grinned at the older woman. "Oh come off it, I'm not saying I encouraged him…"

She waited for Minerva to relax a little before continuing. "But then again, I might have wriggled a little bit more than I needed to," she mused, before grinning broadly at Minerva's look of indignation.

"Relax, Min, I'm just pulling your leg. Besides, I think there might be one or two girls his own age that have already staked their claim, don't you think?"

Minerva followed her gaze back at Harry, and then looked over at the other king-sized bed next to where he slept. Hermione was sleeping on her side, facing Harry. Close enough that if she stretched out, she could touch him.

She sighed. "It's as well he's as shy around girls as he is. If he were more confident or arrogant about his achievements, I doubt there's a fourth or fifth year that wouldn't be chasing after him."

Tonks snorted. "You don't think they aren't already? From what I heard from Sirius, if they're not making a move it's only because they've assumed Hermione's already got him. I mean look at him; polite, respectful, good looking, dreamy green eyes… then there's the fact that he's a dark lord defeating, stone-saving, basilisk-slaying, dementor-banishing, honest-to-God Tri Wizard Champion!

"Never mind that he's the _'Chosen One'_, but chuck in the 'Quidditch-God' as a cherry on top, and I _strongly_ suggest you keep your broom cupboards locked next year! Hell, I might even put my knickers in the hat for the nightly draw as well."

Minerva groaned, and used her fingertips to start massaging her forehead as she propped it up with her elbow on the table.

"Don't worry, Min, I'm just kidding you... he's still _a bit_ young for me yet."

She paused in her teasing as something occurred to her. "Hey, do you know if Siri got a chance to give him _'The Talk'_ while they were at Grimmauld over Christmas?"

"Why would I know?" Minerva asked with some exasperation, looking up again.

"Hmm, I better talk to Remus. Someone needs to talk to Harry... and soon I think. I'm not too worried about those two as they're both sensible, but I'm sure there are plenty of girls out there that would be only too happy to bag the _Boy-Who-Lived_. We don't want to wake up one morning to find out he's now the _Dad-Who-Lived,_ now do we?"

"No, I suppose we don't," she sighed. "Alright, Tonks, you've made sure I'm going to be awake for quite some time worrying now. Off to bed with you."

Smiling, Tonks strutted off slowly in Harry's direction knowing it would wind Minerva up a little more, before she headed towards her own bed.

~o~

_Monday 24th June, 1996._

Harry woke slowly. He was warm and very comfortable, and at first he thought he was still at Hogwarts, as there was no way his bed at Privet Drive could ever be accused of being comfortable.

There was an unfamiliar weight on his left side, so he opened his eyes to see what it was. Blinking in the dim light, he saw that Luna had made a pillow out of his chest, her left arm was around him and drawn up to his right shoulder almost to his cheek.

Even without his glasses, she was close enough that he could see a contented smile on her face.

He thought about waking her before anyone else found her like that and embarrassed her, but then worried that she might think he'd tried taking advantage of her in the night. He hadn't, had he? He realised that his left arm was cuddling her close around her waist and moved it slowly back to the bed behind her, so that he was no longer touching her.

He looked back to her face to find her smile had gone and her eyes were open, looking straight into his.

"Umm, I'm sorry Luna, I was asleep and didn't know what I was doing," he whispered.

"What were you doing? she asked him softly.

"I don't know, but… I know my arm was around you. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too, Harry," she said, looking sad.

"What? Why are you sorry? You haven't done anything wrong."

"Well, I'm sorry that I'm making you uncomfortable by cuddling up to you like this, but mostly I'm sorry that you had to grow up thinking that cuddling your friends was somehow wrong and that's why you took your arm away."

Harry was confused. "You want me to put my arm around you?"

Luna nodded, and smiled again after he put his arm back around her.

She closed her eyes again, contented. "Go back to sleep now, Harry, it's still way too early to think about getting up."

Harry closed his eyes again obediently while Luna absently stroked the side of his neck.

At the kitchen table, Minerva turned to Lupin and gave him a significant look.

"Yes, yes, I'll talk to him soon and make sure Padfoot told him what he should know, and if not... oh hell, Minerva, what do I know?"

Minerva smiled at him. "Remus, you're probably the last link he has to his parents now. Who else is there?"

"How about Dan? He's a father." Remus said hopefully.

Minerva smiled. "Yes he is, _Hermione's_ father, surely you wouldn't do that to the poor man?"

Remus nodded. "I see your point. Not Dan then. But surely there is someone else?"

Minerva started listing names. "Alastor, Albus, Filius, Rubeus, Argus, Severus… or perhaps you're thinking of Dursley?"

Remus shuddered at the list. "I see your point."

He thought for a moment, pondering how he was going to get out of this, when suddenly a name occurred to him that Minerva had missed; the most obvious one.

"Wait a minute, what about Arthur? He's got a truckload of sons and plenty of experience with this!" he said, an accusing look in his eyes.

"By all means, Remus, ask _Ginny's_ father to give Harry _'The Talk'_. His daughter has only been pining after him for about 10 years; add to that the life debt she owes him for saving her from the Chamber of Secrets, but… by all means, Remus."

Remus winced. "Alright, I give up, you win! Go to bed, Minerva, I doubt I'll be able to sleep even after my shift ends now."

~o~

"Hey, Harry! Are you planning on getting up anytime soon? Everyone else has already sat down to breakfast"

Harry's eyes shot open as the phrase triggered a memory he'd rather have forgotten.

He started to sit up. "Okay, okay, Hermione, I'm getting up, no need for any water charms."

He felt his glasses pressed into his hands and he put them on. Hermione was sitting at the end of the bed still wearing her pyjamas, though she had a towel around her head. "Water charms, Harry? Why would I need one of those?"

He looked at her suspiciously, not responding. She'd break. She couldn't hold it in.

"Honestly, Harry, I have no idea what you mean."

He allowed one of his eyebrows to rise slowly as he watched the corners of her mouth twitch. Any second now…and…there we go!

Hermione had started laughing. "I wish I'd let Ginny send Colin off with Neville now, we could have had photos!"

"Well, if you stopped that, then thank you. I'd hate for anyone else to have found that out. Colin would probably have sent the photos to _The Prophet_. He's a menace."

"Right, so that means you owe me… will you show me the memory in your pensieve when you get it then?"

Harry thought about it. "Alright, I'll show you all but the last bit as I'd gone in the bathroom by then."

"So?"

"Hermione, I was _in the shower!_"

She shrugged as though it didn't matter and gave him a smile. "Come on, Harry, breakfast."

He shook his head and got out of bed, following her to the table. Was that a wink? She never winks! I'll never understand girls…

Taking a seat at the table, he poured a good serve of what appeared to be muesli into his bowl, and then added some milk.

"Oi, Potter, don't sit there sniffing it, get it into you. That's the breakfast of champions that is."

"Yeah, yeah, Tonks, I'm getting to it."

He took a mouthful and chewed. Damn, it was good.

"This is good. Very good in fact," he said, once he had swallowed.

"Thank you, Harry!" Luna beamed at him from across the table.

Having already taken another spoonful, he gave her a mock salute in acknowledgement of her culinary skills, and then focussed on eating his breakfast.

After scraping the last bits out of his bowl, he looked up to find everyone else looking at him.

"What? I'm not going to turn into a canary or something, am I?" he asked worriedly.

There was a little laughter. Remus smiled and shook his head. "Not today anyway. Harry, we've been talking about our plans for the day, and we're in a bit of a quandary about the portkey to Sweden. If any of us goes in to buy a second portkey, there is going to have to be a name on it, and that name will be fairly easy to trace. On the other hand, Xeno can take his portkey back in today and get the rest of us added on to it without giving any other names."

"So, why don't we do that then?" Harry asked.

"Because then you wouldn't be where the portkey was," Moody said. "You can't go with him – there's too much chance of you being recognised even with a glamour charm. And we don't have time to brew any Polyjuice."

"But then we had an idea, and everyone seems to think it'd work okay," Emma said.

"Alright, what is it?" Harry asked.

"We're off to the pictures!" Tonks said, bouncing on her chair.

"Really?" Harry asked with a huge grin. "I've never been to a cinema before. What are we going to see?"

"We thought you wouldn't mind seeing _Twister_. It's supposed to be pretty good according to our receptionist." Emma said.

"Yeah, so get your arse in the shower, Potter, and hurry up so we can go!"

"I'm going, Tonks… wait a sec, who's going?"

"You, me, Remus, all the Grangers, and Luna. So move it before we leave you behind."

Harry grinned. "Give me 5 minutes, that's all I'm asking…" then raced up the stairs to the bathroom.

Hermione beamed at the others. "Normally I'm not a big fan of sophistry, but in this case, all I can say is, well done us!"

Moody shrugged. "It's still a good plan, no matter the reason. He's not likely to be recognised sitting in a near black picture theatre in the middle of Muggle London. Just try to limit the time he spends out in public if you can."

Luna walked over to Hermione and grabbed her hand and then began dragging her up the stairs. "Let's go to my room. We need to finish getting ready too."

Tonks looked over at Remus. "You know, I can foresee us ladies going off to go buy some clothes or something after the film. Which I'm guessing would be a good excuse for you and Harry to find a pub and have a little chat."

Remus looked over at Dan for support, but the man just smirked at him and pointed his thumb at himself. "I'm the official bag carrier, which means I carry the bags while they shop. I'd like to go, of course, but the bags won't carry themselves will they?"

Remus looked at him with a disappointed expression.

Dan chuckled, "Sorry mate, I heard you drew the short straw. But since it's come up…" Dan's face turned serious. "Better get it right, okay?"

Remus started banging his head on the table, while Tonks patted his back, grinning.

~o~


	11. Chapter 11: Immortal Losing Game

**Thoughts of Pudding by Brian64.**

**Chapter 11: Immortal Losing Game.**

_Monday 24th June, 1996._

"Alastor! A word, if you please!" Minerva barked out, interrupting the argument that had been developing between Harry and the paranoid ex-Auror.

Starting the man moving with a slight push, she herded him out the back door of the Lovegoods' kitchen. Momentarily distracted at the sight of the garden, she shook her head and returned to the task at hand.

Casting a privacy spell to prevent any eavesdropping, she turned to Moody. "Last night you pointed out the mistakes I made in my conversation with Albus because I reacted instead of responded. Now I shall return the favour."

"I was _responding_ to _his_ idiocy!" Moody said, almost growling his response.

"What you were doing is treating him exactly the way Albus would; by telling him what to do instead of asking." Minerva replied sternly. "To make matters worse, you then justified your demands by telling him it was for _'his own good'_. Of course he's going to fight against that attitude."

"You know what he has to do!" Moody snapped back. "Are we supposed to sit back and let him risk himself and everyone else without a damn good reason?"

Minerva pursed her lips, wondering how she could make him see reason. She could see Moody's point of view, but how could she get him to see hers?

"Let me try to put it another way, Alastor. Tell me, why was this trip set up in the first place?"

Moody grimaced. "I know where you are going with this, but–"

"Alastor, please?" She asked in a firm, but reasonable tone.

Moody huffed in annoyance. "The objective was to give him a chance to experience something _'fun'_, so that for a couple of hours he didn't have to worry about defeating dark lords or mourning dead Godfathers."

"Quite. So tell me, Alastor, when he failed to see the _'fun'_ in staying disillusioned after arriving in London and sneaking into the cinema without paying, why didn't you drop the suggestion?" Minerva asked reasonably.

Moody remained silent.

"Alastor, do you want Harry to trust you?" She asked softly.

"Of all the stupid bloody questions! What do you think? Of course I bloody well do. It'll be hard enough to train him as it is, without having to fight him all the way." Moody said, fuming.

"Well then, I suggest you spend a little more time thinking about how you might earn that trust, instead of working hard to lose it. I assure you, regaining his trust is one of my own priorities." Minerva replied.

Moody looked at her blankly, and Minerva wondered whether she was making any headway in changing his attitude. She reassured herself that at least he was still here listening instead of storming off.

She tried again. "I have already told you how I managed to destroy his trust in me by assuming I knew best and telling him what to do. I speak from experience when I tell you that you will lose him if you continue to dictate what and how he should do things. Albus has already lost him for precisely that reason."

She could see he was listening, so she tried a more logical argument to bring him around. "Do you truly believe he is in so much danger in Muggle London that he must stay hidden under a disillusionment charm? Or is it simply that to do so would make him safer? Because if we take that attitude to extremes, we would end up locking him up somewhere wrapped in cotton wool and denying him any kind of life."

She looked at Moody steadily as she finished her argument. "I, for one, take great exception to the line that says _'neither can live while the other survives.'_ I fully intend to help him live as much as he can, for as long as he can."

Moody scowled. "Alright, Minerva, you win… this time. Let's go tell Potter he has to pay for his tickets after all."

Minerva smiled, and followed the man back inside. She had to laugh out loud when she heard Moody's muttered comments as they walked along.

"'Son of a Marauder', my arse! James and Sirius would be rolling in their graves at the thought of their boy not jumping at the chance to sneak into a film!"

~o~

Unwilling to leave everything completely to chance, Moody insisted that everyone carry a portkey that would take them to Privet Drive, including Harry. They all agreed that whatever the emergency, that was still the safest place to use for a temporary escape. Whoever was closest to Dan or Emma would take responsibility for grabbing them when they portkeyed out of trouble.

Moody noticed that Harry seemed fixated over the portkeys and asked what the problem was.

Harry wasn't sure he really wanted to know the answer, but thought he'd better raise it anyway. "Well, it's just that if Professor McGonagall can make portkeys to Privet Drive, then what's stopping Voldemort or the Death Eaters from doing the same thing?"

Moody nodded approvingly. "Wondered when someone would ask that, Potter. Alright, I'll tell you lot, but I want you to keep this quiet. The only people that can make portkeys to Privet Drive are the people present when you were dropped off as a baby and Dumbledore set up the wards. The other requirement is that the maker needs to have seen the location, and as far as I know, only Minerva's been inside the house. Still, it would be best to assume Albus could as well, or his phoenix could probably take him I suppose."

Minerva looked a little startled. "I hadn't really considered that, Alastor. Can you truly not make one?"

Moody shook his head. "I can't get the necessary detail to stay in my head, Minerva. As soon as I start to think about casting _Portus_, the image blurs and fades. Theoretically Hagrid could make a portkey since he was there when Albus set the wards up, but I doubt he'd be able to learn the charm." Moody looked at Harry. "You should be able to make them as well, Potter, once you learn how."

Eventually everyone agreed on what they were going to do for the day. The cinema group would be disillusioned before portkeying to Charing Cross Road. Then, after finding a quiet place to cancel the charm, they would take the tube to Piccadilly Circus, where they would catch a matinee screening of the film. After the film, they would do a little shopping for a couple of hours before everyone met at the St James Tavern for a late lunch around 2pm. None of the teens knew that Remus would be taking Harry to the pub early for a quiet chat instead of shopping.

Meanwhile, Alastor would be keeping a disillusioned eye on Xenophilius while he went to Diagon Alley to upgrade his international portkey for the extra travellers. With Moody shadowing him, he would then purchase some needed supplies for the trip before heading to the lunch rendezvous with Moody.

Minerva decided to skip the film so that she could visit Severus and explain the changes required if he wished to continue teaching at Hogwarts. By having the conversation today, it would give Severus a chance to talk with Albus about it before Friday, and she'd then be able to discuss any complaints with the Headmaster during dinner, rather than have to make another meeting later. The less contact she had with him for the time being, the less chance there was that he would find Harry. Moody hated her plan to meet Snape of course, and wasn't shy about telling her so – at full volume – but it didn't change her mind.

~o~

Once Tonks removed the disillusionment charm, the three Grangers separated and ensured they stayed close to Luna, Tonks and Remus; who were the most likely to wander off gaping at something unfamiliar. As she had at Kings Cross, Luna took Emma's hand much as a young child might, and chattered away to her about everything they saw.

Harry was surprised to see the two of them seemingly so close, since as far as he knew, they'd barely met. But then he realised that Luna always seemed to be holding someone's hand lately. His fingers curled a little in line with his thoughts and he realised that it was usually _his hand_ that Luna held.

Harry looked around and noticed that Tonks and Hermione were having a quiet conversation, their heads often together. They even started giggling over something at one point; much to Harry's surprise. Hermione hardly ever giggled, and by his count, this was only about the fourth time he'd heard the sound from her. It was… nice.

He looked over at Dan and Remus, and thought about joining them. Their conversation though, while similarly private, seemed to be a lot more serious, so he stayed back.

Having been focussed on the other two pairs, he didn't notice that that he'd come within reach of Luna. She grabbed his hand, drawing him into her conversation with Emma before he realised it. He joined in happily as they walked to the tube station.

~o~

Some time later, with tickets and snacks purchased, Remus found himself sitting in the cinema looking at the two yellow wafers and the wrapped block of vanilla ice cream in his hands. How was he supposed to assemble his ice cream wafer sandwich without making a mess? Somehow he must have got the wrong ice cream block, as the wafers were clearly the wrong size. He tried looking at the occupant of the seat beside him for clues, but Dan seemed to be the only one without one.

Dan must have noticed the look because he leaned over for a quiet word. "Just play along. Emma loves them, and there aren't too many places that still sell 'em now. Just open the packet all the way along the middle, and the rest is easy."

Remus assembled his ice cream wafer as instructed and took a bite. Maybe if he ate it quickly it wouldn't have a chance to drip all over his hands, but he doubted it.

"So, you think your mate Sirius would have had a talk with Harry then?" Dan asked, resuming the conversation they'd started on the walk over from the tube.

Remus nodded. "I'm sure he would have. He had time with Harry last summer, and I know he loved being Harry's Godfather. He would have taken his responsibilities seriously."

Dan gave him a look, wondering if he'd intended the pun, then moved on. "From what you've told me, he and Harry's dad were quite the lads at school. Assuming he did give Harry the talk, are you sure he'll have given him the right one?"

Remus froze. He'd been pinning his hopes on asking Harry whether Sirius had covered the topic with him, waiting for an embarrassed nod from the teen, and then moving on to discussing Quidditch or something. He hadn't considered that he'd need to review and quiz Harry on what he had learned. _Damn it!_

He felt something cool run down his wrist and under his sleeve. _Oh, damn it!_

Dan briefly watched Remus fighting with his ice cream with some amusement before turning back to the movie screen that had just started showing ads. He liked the man, and could tell that as long as he understood the problem, he'd try to resolve it.

On his other side, Emma and their daughter were eating their ice cream wafers like professionals. Harry on the other hand, had decided there was little chance he could manage to eat it cleanly. Forsaking his Gryffindor courage, he handed his wafers to Luna, and instead ate his ice cream safely from the end of the wrapper.

Luna, delighted at having four wafers, used one of them to slice her ice cream block in half, to make two thinner wafer sandwiches. Tonks, sitting at the end of the row next to Luna, watched in amusement as Luna completed her deft surgery and emerged with an ice cream wafer in both hands. As she started to lick the edges of each of them in turn, Tonks couldn't help but reach out and tuck a strand of her long blond hair out of the way.

Luna turned and smiled her thanks and returned to her ice creams. Once she had finished them, she licked away the ice cream that had dripped on her hands then rubbed them together until the friction had mostly dried them. Satisfied, she then attached herself to Harry's arm and hand as she had the day before, then settled her head on his shoulder as she watched the trailers for the coming attractions.

~o~

Walking out of the cinema some 2 hours later, Luna looked concerned and very thoughtful.

"Tonks, do you think the Muggles need any help to get another 'Dorothy' into a twister? Perhaps you could teach me to apparate so I could get close to one to drop one off before popping out? Do you think–"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…" Tonks said, interrupting. "How about I have a quiet word with Kingsley and Arthur about it when I next see them, okay, Luna?"

Luna nodded. "Just don't forget to tell them I'll be happy to help if they need it."

"You got it." Tonks replied.

Observing the conversation, Harry suddenly realised he was possibly the only person that understood Luna's fervour, since it was his hand that was getting crushed during the movie's opening scene when young Jo watched her father sucked up into the twister.

"So, everyone have fun?" Emma asked the group, hoping to distract Luna from her new quest.

Everyone agreed they'd had a fantastic time, and couldn't wait until the next time. Harry couldn't stop talking about the preview trailer for _Independence Day,_ and Dan assured him that even if they couldn't get the girls interested, he'd be happy to go along with him.

As they walked out of the theatre, Emma turned to the three males. "Alright, we womenfolk are going to go do some shopping for an hour or so. We'll still meet up with you at St James Tavern for a late lunch at 2 o'clock, as we arranged with the other three, alright?"

Hearing his cue, Dan piped up. "Maybe I should come along to carry the bags, I know how you ladies like to shop, and this way, none of you will have to worry about them," he said with a smirk at Remus.

"No, that's okay, dear," Emma replied, with a smirk of her own. "We'll be just fine. You go off with the boys and we'll see you later."

"Huh?" Dan said, somewhat startled at his wife's betrayal.

Shooting a wide smile at Emma and a cheerful farewell to the girls, Remus clapped a firm hand on Dan's shoulder and steered him off with them towards the pub.

After watching her dad stumble off with Harry and Remus, Hermione turned and saw Tonks laughing her head off, as well as a huge grin on her mother's face. She asked her the obvious question.

"Alright, what's going on?"

"Tell you later, love, okay? Let's just say that your dad was taking a little too much delight at Mr Lupin's expense, so I've decided to prank him for it to teach him not to gloat. Besides, did you really want him tagging along while we get you fitted for some new bras?"

Hermione gave her a horrified look, and then did her best to pretend she wasn't there, looking around at anything but the group of people she was standing next to.

Still smiling, Emma absently reached for Luna's hand as they all walked off in search of clothes.

~o~

After entering the pub, Dan sent Remus and Harry off to find a quiet table, and then walked up to the bar.

"Good afternoon, what can I get you?" the older lady behind the bar asked.

Since he was already thinking about being in London with a werewolf, Dan couldn't help but say; "A Campari soda would do very nice."

"Sorry, love."

Dan's grin got even wider. "Oh, well then, uh, a small Guinness will suffice. Actually, better make that three."

The bartender took her time to double pour the three stouts, and then she handed them to Dan.

"A thousand thanks, madam." Dan said, paying for the drinks and taking them over to the table where it appeared Harry and Remus were about to start a game of chess.

"Knight takes Pawn?" Dan offered, handing them each a beer and taking his own seat.

Remus looked back at the board as if confirming all of the pieces were still in their starting positions, and then he chuckled as he realised what Dan was talking about. "Emma did warn me about you. Did you try to order a Campari soda as well?"

"I might have done." Dan admitted. "Well we are in London with you after all…"

Remus chuckled again. "I see your point." He took a sip of the stout, his eyes looking off in the distance for a moment, lost in his thoughts, before looking back at the people around him.

Remus noted the confused expression on Harry's face and smiled. "Dan and I were talking about a scene from a werewolf film, Harry. Sirius had heard about it, and talked us all into going to see it one night."

Remus paused as though deciding whether to continue. "I'll never forget it, because it was actually the last time all four of the Marauders were together on a night out. It was only a couple of months afterwards that we lost your parents."

Harry took a long swallow from his glass and grimaced at the taste.

Remus smiled. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it." Then, deciding the conversation had taken a depressing turn, decided to move on. Since he had the white pieces, he moved his pawn to d4. "Ok, who's playing? Harry? Dan?"

"I'm shite, Remus. I'd rather watch you and Mr Granger play." Harry said.

"Call me Dan, please, Harry." Dan said.

Harry nodded, and exchanged seats with Dan, who moved a pawn to f5.

Remus moved a pawn to g3, and Dan followed with a pawn to g6. The next two turns had Remus move his bishop to g2, and then his knight to c3, while Dan moved his bishop to g7 and knight to f6.

"Err, Remus…" Harry said hesitantly. "Do you think you could tell me some stories about my parents, or Sirius?"

Remus looked over at Harry. "I'd be glad to, Harry. Anytime, you should know that. Now let's see... Oh yes, I've got one for you," he said, giving Dan a sly smile when Harry wasn't looking.

"It was around our fourth or fifth year I think, and your dad was still trying to get your mother to date him. He'd just failed, _again_, which prompted Sirius to announce rather loudly…" The other two watched as Remus became quite animated in the retelling of the story. "… 'It was probably for the best, Prongs, you know you wouldn't know what to do with her even if she did say yes!'" Remus finished off, adopting Sirius' posture and mimicking his voice for the quote.

"But he didn't leave it there of course." Remus said, continuing his tale. "He then decided that James needed to hear _'The Talk'_, and proceeded to give it to him in detail. Poor James was mortified, especially since Lily was still sitting in the common room at the time, giggling along with her friends."

"I'd have run I think." Harry offered, trying not to laugh at his father's expense.

"So would James," Remus agreed, "But Sirius knew that as well and had already hit him with a pre-emptive _Petrificus_ before he had a chance."

Now Harry couldn't help but laugh. "So where were you during all this?" Harry asked,

"Oh, I was sitting on the lounge next to your father listening to Sirius, like most of the other Gryffindors. It wasn't directed at us so we all found it very entertaining… and more than a little educational as well!" Remus said, a little smugly.

During this conversation, the next few moves had been made. Bishop to g5, knight to c6, queen to d2, pawn to d6, pawn to h4, and pawn to e6.

Remus kept his eyes on the chess board, though watched Harry with his peripheral vision. "So, Harry, did Sirius prank you with _The Talk_ as well, or did he just keep it between the two of you?"

Harry, now concentrating again on the game in front of him, hadn't really been paying much attention to the conversation once the story about his father ended. "Huh? Oh, umm, no prank, we just had a chat over Christmas. Are you going to castle now?"

Remus cheered inside. "Excellent, Harry, yes, yes, very good indeed!" He castled on the queenside.

Dan cleared his throat and gave Remus a significant look, as he moved his pawn to h6.

Remus glared back at the man, and studied the board. "So… Harry, err… hmm, you know, it doesn't sound like Sirius to give up a prime prank like that. Are you sure he gave you the right talk?" He moved his bishop to f4.

Harry looked up at Remus with a confused expression. "Well, I suppose he did. How would I know?"

"Why don't you tell us what he said, and we can fill in any blanks?" Remus suggested.

Dan quickly moved his bishop to d7 then stood up. "And while you start that, I'm going to get us another round." He made sure to smirk at Remus as he made his escape.

"Make Harry's a coke, please, Dan." Remus said before Dan got away. He turned to Harry and shrugged apologetically. "Sorry, Harry, but you'll need to eat something before you drink anymore, and you are underage after all."

Harry shrugged. "That's okay. I wouldn't mind trying a coke anyway."

He didn't really know how to say _'…and thanks for caring enough to look out for me, Moony_.' So just gave him a smile instead, before looking back at the chessboard.

"You haven't had a coke before?" Remus asked, incredulous.

"Coke isn't on the menu in Hogsmeade, or Diagon Alley for that matter." Harry said, looking up at him.

"You've met the Dursleys; can you picture them buying me a coke when there's _'perfectly good water in the tap, boy'_?" Harry asked, mimicking his Uncle's voice at the end.

Remus looked sorrowful. "I suppose not."

The man looked thoughtful for a minute. "Tell you what, Harry. Why don't you make a list of the things you've wanted to do or try; but couldn't, and we'll see how many of them we can get through this summer, alright?"

Harry looked startled. "Really? That'd be great! Thanks, Remus!"

"Not a problem, Harry" he replied, feeling a sudden urge to be in the vicinity of Little Whinging 6 days from now. He normally wasn't a fan of blue moons, but… He sighed a little, knowing that Harry wouldn't forgive him any more than he'd forgive himself if he took it any further than wishful thinking. It amused him to think about it though.

Dan interrupted his musings of mayhem by returning with the drinks. "So, what did I miss?" He asked, looking between the two.

"Not much." Remus replied. "Though come to think of it, Harry, you were going to tell us about the chat you had with Sirius?"

"Umm, well, I'm not too sure what all the fuss is about really. I mean, I don't think I'd want to have it in public like Sirius did with my Dad, but I don't think it's as bad as everyone seems to make out."

Remus frowned. Harry's reply didn't bode well at all in his view. "Go on…" he encouraged, then it hit him; w_ait a second, what did he just say – something about everyone making out?_

Harry took a sip of his coke. "Hey, that's not bad at all. Why don't they have this at Hogwarts?"

Remus nearly groaned. "I honestly don't know, Harry. Why don't you continue?"

"Okay," Harry said cheerfully, and then drank some more of his coke. "This really is good – are you sure you wouldn't like some?" He asked, offering the glass to Remus.

Remus nearly glared at Dan. This was like pulling teeth, and wasn't that a job for a dentist? "It doesn't really go with the stout, but thank you. So what did Sirius say?"

"Well, he said he wanted to teach me a couple of spells, and wanted to know if I already knew them. So we went off into the tapestry room to get away from everyone."

Harry took another drink of his coke before continuing. "He showed me the _Contraceptus_ charm, and when I told him I'd never seen it before he made me practice it until he was happy with my wand movements."

Remus nearly did himself an injury from preventing himself from laughing at Harry's double entendre about wands. Then his Marauder instincts kicked into high alert; this was his second double entendre! Something wasn't quite– no, he was just imagining things.

"Ok, so he taught you the spell, then what?"

"Hmm? Oh, well, then Hermione came in and we started talking about the names on the tapestry. I can't tell you how glad I am that we'd finished the chat beforehand. I'd have died blushing if she'd seen what Sirius was teaching me to do with my wand a few minutes earlier!" Harry concluded.

Remus stared at the chessboard. He dared not look at Dan, or Harry for that matter. He wasn't sure he could keep holding his laughter in at Harry's turn of phrase as it was. Pretty much any expression on Dan's face and it would be all over for the 'adult' discussion, while he rolled on the floor laughing.

Then the thought hit him, and his amusement fell. _Oh bugger! It's up to me now_.

"Well, you know, Harry, there's more to it than just the spell you know?" Remus said cautiously.

"There is? Like what?" Harry said, apparently curious.

Remus looked at Dan. "Isn't it your turn?"

Dan smiled. "Nope, I moved my bishop before going for the drinks."

Remus scowled as Dan skilfully dodged the buck-pass. He moved his pawn to e4, and Dan took it with his own pawn. "Back to you, Remus." Dan said with another smile, making it clear he had no intention of picking up the ball.

"Well, Harry, it's hard to know where to really begin. There's a lot you need to know about how men's and women's bodies work, the, err, basic biology of it all. Have you had any information on that at all yet?" Remus asked, before moving his knight to take the pawn on e4.

Harry shook his head. "Not yet."

Dan moved his knight to d5, and kept his mouth shut, avoiding any eye contact with Remus.

"I see. Okay, that's going to need to go on the list then. There's also what I suppose we might call a little, umm, advanced biology." Remus said, before moving his knight to e2.

"Advanced biology?" Harry asked. "What do you mean?"

Dan moved his queen to e7, eyes firmly on the board and lips twitching.

"Well, let's see… if basic biology covers the, umm, essentials of how babies are created and born, then advanced covers the rest… you know, techniques and the like?" Remus said, moving his pawn to c4.

Harry gave him a confused look. "I'm sorry, I don't really understand. Maybe you could explain in a little more detail, Remus?"

Dan, having trouble holding in his laughter, and paying a little too much attention to the conversation; moved his knight to b6, then winced. _Damn, I should have taken the bishop on f4!_

Remus wasn't sure he even knew how to continue. He delayed responding by moving his pawn to c5, then watched Dan take it with his own pawn. He then moved his bishop to c7, taking Dan's pawn, and then watched as Dan opted for a kingside castle.

Remus realised he couldn't put this off any longer, and made another attempt to talk about 'advanced biology'. "Well, Harry, there are certain areas of a woman's body that are particularly sensitive, and…" He looked over at Harry and saw him struggling to suppress a smirk, and he realised he'd been had.

"Oh, you rotten little bugger! I knew it!" Remus yelled as Harry dissolved into laughter along with Dan at seeing Remus well and truly pranked.

"Did you put him up to this?" Remus asked Dan, and watched as the other man shook his head, laughing.

"Harry?" Remus asked him, and had to wait until Harry stopped laughing long enough to respond.

"I heard you talking to Professor McGonagall last night. I couldn't make out everything, but I heard enough."

Remus thought about how to reply for a moment.

"Well, I'd have to say that was very well played, Harry, very well indeed. You'd have made a fine Marauder." Remus congratulated him, and then looked at him steadily without a smile. "I'm almost sorry for what is going to happen."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, a look of confusion replacing the mirth on his face.

"Retribution, Harry. I'm afraid that the world is divided into Marauders, and non-Marauders. Marauders do the pranking, non-Marauders get pranked. That's just how the world is. Pranking a Marauder is unthinkable, so I'm afraid that retribution is the only way to avert the paradox you've created."

Harry started to look a little wary.

Remus smiled. "Really, Harry, timing is everything if you want to play with the professionals. I mean, just look at the opportunities I have available with the current topic of conversation."

He turned to Dan. "How long until the girls get here do you think, Dan? Maybe we should get their input as well?"

Harry's eyes widened until he thought they'd pop out of his head. "Oh, _hell no!_" Harry exclaimed. "That'd be inhuman!"

Remus grinned, and examined his fingernails. "Well, I am a werewolf, Harry, you have to expect us 'dark creatures' to do evil every now and again. You just volunteered to be the victim. It's, umm, _'for the Greater Good, I'm afraid, Harry.'_" Remus concluded with his best Dumbledore impression.

"Okay, okay. What do I have to do to get out of this?" Harry pleaded.

"No, Harry, the correct response is; 'alright then, Moony, do your worst; if you want a prank war, you've got one!'"

"Err, no. This time I think I'll stick with whimpering like a little baby and begging for mercy."

"Are you sure? It could be a mistake giving up so soon you know? I might think you just got lucky earlier."

"Yes, that's it! I just got lucky, it was a spur of the moment thing and I wasn't thinking about what I was doing. You wouldn't really embarrass me in front of the girls for that, would you?"

"Hmm, I can't say I'm not disappointed, Harry. Alright then, let's continue our discussion and see how far we get before the girls get here. Now I think you were going to tell me what you already know about 'advanced biology' weren't you? Oh, and don't forget the details, Harry, lots of details! I want to know what you know, and what you don't know."

Groaning, Harry started to talk about what he knew while furiously blushing. He doubted Remus would let his skin cool down all afternoon.

~o~


	12. Chapter 12: The Other Shoe

**Thoughts of Pudding by Brian64.**

**Chapter 12: The Other Shoe.**

_Monday 24th June, 1996._

As she watched her mother take Luna's hand and walk off, Hermione fell in to step beside the still-smiling Auror. "Care to share the joke, Tonks?" she asked.

Still amused at how neatly Emma had set Dan up, Tonks looked over at Hermione and wondered what she could tell her without giving it away. "It's like your mum said; she managed to prank your dad when he wasn't expecting it. That's the best laugh I've had all week."

Hermione huffed at the non-answer. "Yes, I already know that. But why would sending my dad off with Professor Lupin and Harry be such a big prank? What are they going to be doing?"

Tonks just double-tapped her nose. "Didn't your mum say she'd tell you later?"

"That's not very helpful, Tonks." Hermione said reproachfully.

Tonks grinned. "Nope, it's not, but it isn't my place to say, is it? Besides, you're a smart girl, Hermione. My guess is that if you stopped spending so much time asking about it and just started thinking about it for yourself, I reckon you'd figure it out soon enough."

At Hermione's glare, Tonks just stepped closer and bumped shoulders with Hermione to make her stumble a little. "Careful, Herms, we wouldn't want the wind to blow the wrong way and freeze that look on your face," she said with a chuckle.

Hermione let out a growl and turned to Tonks with every intention of rewarding her use of that horrid nickname by using Tonks' hated first name in return. Only to find Tonks strolling along with her hands behind her back, whistling, and with the most innocent expression on her face that she could make.

"You…you…" Hermione began, suddenly at a loss as to what she wanted to say. Tonks was too outrageous to stay cross with.

"Hmm?" Tonks asked, innocent look planted firmly, and looking over at Hermione as though for the first time.

"Nothing." Hermione said, dropping her head in defeat.

Tonks' face broke into a smile, and she started bouncing around like a prize fighter awarded a match. "I win! I win! Ha-ha!" She crowed.

"Ooh, you're impossible!" Hermione huffed, getting annoyed again.

"Oh, come on, Hermione" Tonks said, dropping her routine. "Learn to play a bit. Life's too short, you know?" She threw an arm around the younger girl's shoulder as they walked until Hermione relaxed.

Emma led the group on to the tube, and then off again a few stops later at Knightsbridge. A short walk later and they were stepping into Harrods, and to Hermione's embarrassment, they headed straight for the ladies unmentionables.

Once they reached the department, Tonks and Emma teamed up and started looking over at the various styles and discussing them amongst themselves. Hermione took their distraction as an opportunity to edge away, and tried to be as inconspicuous as possible. She noticed Luna wandering amongst the aisles, and looking around with some interest. Then she saw Luna's eyes flick towards her mother with a wistful look.

Hermione swallowed a little as she realised that Luna would never have had a chance to go shopping with her own mother like this. She doubted Luna would feel at all self-conscious about it, and would probably have treasured the experience.

Cursing herself for her own stupidity, she walked over to where Tonks and Emma were standing and, stepping close to her mum, whispered in her ear. "Mum, Luna… umm… she hasn't…" She began, not having thought about what she was going to say.

Her mother turned to her and gave her a warm smile. "I know, love, we spoke to her dad last night. This shopping trip is as much for her as for you. Why don't you bring her over so we can get this part done. We haven't got time to get everything, but I think we should get a couple of things for Harry while we're here. Lord knows, he looks like he could use them."

At Hermione's shocked stare, Emma thought back over what she'd said, and laughed. "Not from _here,_ silly… unless you think Harry would like a nice frilly bra and knickers set?"

Emma laughed at her daughter's expression for a moment, before clarifying. "I meant that we should get him a couple of shirts and maybe a pair of jeans for him to be getting on with until we can bring him out shopping properly. Now, go get Luna."

Emma watched Hermione walk quickly over to Luna and say a few words to her. Then she saw a radiant smile appear on Luna's face as she looked over at her, before grabbing Hermione's hand and walking quickly over to where she stood with Tonks.

~o~

Harry sat in his chair, staring at the chessboard, desperately hoping for either the forgotten game to recommence, or for Voldemort to show up and put him out of his misery.

It turned out that half of what he thought he knew about the facts of life was almost completely inaccurate, and since most of it came from Fred & George, he decided that payback was definitely going to occur. Oh yes, roast carrots were going on the menu, right alongside grilled werewolf.

Harry was relieved to learn that most of the inaccuracies revolved around what Remus called _'Advanced Biology'_. It turned out he did actually have a fairly good grasp of the basics – or most of them anyway – despite what he'd told Remus earlier when he was trying to set him up.

It was half-way through Remus's discussion about the various methods of encouraging the Bartholin's gland to 'do what it does best' that Mad-Eye and Xenophilius showed up.

Remus waited for the two new arrivals to take their seats with their pints, and then asked Harry to recap what he'd learnt so far.

He looked at Remus in horror. "Nothing short of an _Imperius_ is going to get me to do any such thing!" he hissed. "And don't bother even trying, as I can resist them!"

Remus smirked and relented for the moment. "Alright, Harry, we'll just review at the end then. Now, where were we? Oh yes, so as I was saying, you'll generally find most girls will like it if you…"

Harry leaned his elbows on the table and put his head in his hands as he listened. Remus would have to die slowly – maybe a spit roast instead of grilling? It went without saying that he'd have to get Mad-Eye to teach him the _obliviate_ spell, so he could cast it on everyone, including himself.

"Oh, hey, the girls are arriving," Remus said happily, startling Harry. "Looks like they're just in time for the review then!" Remus said, smirking at Harry.

Harry's eyes narrowed. "You want a war, Moony? Right, you just got one! Leave them out of it!" he demanded icily.

Remus laughed. "That's the spirit, Harry! Took you long enough. Alright my young apprentice Marauder, as a professional courtesy we'll leave them out of it… this time."

Relieved, Harry tried to compose himself so he didn't look like a black-haired beetroot when the girls walked in. He thought he'd just about got it when Remus added in a last comment.

"So, Harry, what do you think of your chances of _not_ imagining them naked after that discussion then?" Remus asked, nodding in the direction of front door as Luna, Hermione, Tonks and Emma walked in.

Dan nearly choked on his beer at that last remark. He knew full well that Emma would have been finding her husband most attentive today, but at Remus' words a pleasant memory of his wife came to mind. He turned to Harry intending to send a warning glare his way, but instead watched as the boy's face took on a horrified expression before turning bright red. He then got up and all but ran in the direction of the men's room.

Dan watched as Remus laughed aloud at the success of his last quip, and suddenly Dan couldn't see the humour in it any more. Harry had done a pretty good job of getting through what was obviously a hideously embarrassing situation for him, but now Remus had made him unable to even face his friends.

"Proud of yourself, are you?" he asked Remus, who gave him a surprised look at Dan's angry tone.

Dan got up from the table, and headed in the direction Harry had gone. On the way, Emma intercepted him. "Problem?" She asked.

"I think so. Remus took it too far and Harry's hiding in embarrassment. I'm going to see if I can talk him round. Why don't you take the girls over and get a table for lunch?" Dan suggested.

Emma nodded. "Okay, but you realise they're going to ask what's wrong with Harry. What shall I tell them?"

Dan thought for a moment. "Tell them that Harry had too much to drink and he's feeling sick. If he comes out looking awkward or ashamed, then they'll just assume it's from overdoing the alcohol."

Emma kissed him. "You're a good man, Dan Granger."

He smiled at her and walked off to find Harry. As he entered the men's room, he found it empty, though the door to one of the toilet cubicles was closed. He knocked on the door.

"Why don't you piss off, Remus." Harry's voice said, but there was far more sorrow in the tone than anger.

"Try again." Dan said.

"Sorry, Mr Granger" Harry said, in the same depressed tone.

"It's Dan, remember? Are you going to open the door?

"It's not locked."

Dan pushed the door open and found Harry sitting on the toilet seat, elbows on knees and head in hands. Harry looked up as the door bumped the wall softly.

"Hey, Harry." Dan said, using the greeting as an attempt to start a conversation.

"Hey." Harry replied.

"I think Remus crossed the line at the end there," Dan said. "And just so we're clear, it was supposed to be just you and him in that discussion. Most of the older males you know have teenage daughters, so he got the job".

Harry nodded. "Thanks Mr Gr… Dan."

"So why don't you splash some water on your face to freshen up a bit, and we'll go out and have some lunch, okay?"

Harry was about to reply when the door opened and Remus came in, followed by Xenophilius.

"Oh bloody Hell!" Harry exclaimed. "What is it now? Gonna hex my clothes pink or something? Go right ahead! It doesn't matter to me since there's no way I'm leaving this room."

"Harry, I'm sorry. I got a little carried away, and the truth of it is, I just… well… It was like I was back with James. It didn't really occur to me that I'd really stuffed up until Xeno pointed it out. I'm sorry." Remus said.

Harry wanted to be 'adult' about the whole thing and just accept the apology, but he just couldn't do it. He wanted to be out there with his friends, but there was no way he could even look at them now, let alone talk with them.

"A little too late to realise that don't you think?" Harry asked coldly.

Remus nodded. "Yes it is. I'm sorry, Harry."

Harry exploded and started ranting. "You're sorry? Great! Well, everything's just _fine_ again then, 'cause being sorry fixes everything right up, doesn't it? I'll just go out there and try to ignore the fact that my friends are seriously attractive young ladies, right? I should just pretend that the conversation we just had never even took place, hmm? I mean, since I obviously have _so much_ experience dealing with girls, it should be dead easy, yeah?"

Remus cursed himself for not realising earlier that this was Harry he had been dealing with, not James. The young man in front of him clearly had little or no experience with girls, and didn't have the self-confidence to shrug off the teasing as James would have. _Those damn Muggles!_

"I'm truly sorry, Harry," he said again. "I should've thought things through, but as I said, I got carried away."

"That doesn't help! Why don't you just bugger off and leave me alone!" Harry replied.

"I can't do that, Harry." Remus said calmly.

Dan could see that neither of the two were going to resolve anything at the moment and decided to intervene. "Come on, Harry, let's go and get some lunch. Some food will do us all some good. They do a great beef and Guinness pie here, or so I've been told anyway."

Harry looked at him with an expression that was all too obviously meant to say; _'are you completely barking mad?'_

Dan smiled, "Relax, Harry, I've got your alibi already worked out. How's this sound? You started feeling sick after drinking your beer, and came in here to _'drive the porcelain bus'_ as they say. But it isn't really your fault you were feeling drunk, because it turns out that Remus had charmed your beer to be extra potent as a prank. Of course, Remus now feels guilty about you having to _'call God on the big white phone'_, so he's cast a sobering charm on you."

Dan looked around at the others. "Well, does that sound plausible?" He asked.

Remus chuckled. "Actually, it does at that," he said, turning to Harry. "Harry?"

Harry nodded, but didn't say anything.

A few minutes and a sink full of cold water later, the men exited the men's room, after extracting a promise from Harry that he would follow very shortly afterwards. The running water combined with his earlier drinks had stimulated a need in Harry to finally use the facilities for their original purpose.

When Harry approached the table, he wasn't altogether surprised to find a free seat between Luna and Hermione, who both smiled sympathetically at him as he approached. He guessed the cover story had been shared in his absence.

Once he'd taken his seat, Luna reached for his hand, but he moved it away. He felt unclean from the directions his imagination had taken during the conversation this afternoon, and needed some time to sort things out. He flinched as he imagined he could feel a wave of sadness radiate from Luna from his action.

He couldn't look at anyone so he focussed on the menu in front of him.

"Harry, I'd like to talk with you. Would you come with me, please?" Luna asked him quietly, before getting up from her seat.

Not knowing how to get out of the talk without being completely rude, he got up to follow her. She led him off to a more private section of the pub where they sat down.

"Harry, did I do something wrong?" she asked him.

Harry shook his head.

"Well then, do you think _you_ did something wrong?" she asked.

Harry nodded, still not able to make eye contact with her.

Luna studied him for a minute, and then another minute. Harry started to feel uncomfortable under her stare.

"Do you think you've done something that would make me not want to be your friend if I knew about it?" she asked eventually.

Harry looked up briefly, startled at her perception, before looking down again. He gave her a small nod.

"Hmm, I don't think you would have had enough time to actually do anything wrong while you had two men looking after you, so is the problem to do with something you have been thinking?" she asked.

Harry nodded again, getting worried at how close she was getting to his dirty secret.

"Was it something you thought about me, or about someone else?" she asked.

Harry was horrified. He didn't want to lie, but if he answered truthfully, she'd know he was a sick pervert. His thoughts ran in circles as he tried to think of a way out.

She thought about the possible reasons for his pause, and tried again. "So, should I rephrase that question to; was it something you thought about me _as well as_ thinking about someone else?" She asked.

Harry couldn't breathe. He closed his eyes and wished he knew how to apparate, so he could escape Luna's all-too-accurate questioning. He didn't realise that in his highly emotional state, if he had concentrated on just being somewhere else instead of focussing on the process, then his magic would have obliged with a spontaneous apparition, just as it had when he was a child.

He was startled to hear Luna's light, joyful laughter, and opened his eyes to see what had happened. She was looking at him warmly.

"Oh, Harry, what are we going to do with you? I've never met anyone that attracts wrackspurts the way you can all by yourself," she said.

"What's a wrackspurt?" he asked, grasping for anything that changed the conversation topic.

"Well, they're invisible, and they make your thoughts go all fuzzy. I sometimes wonder if you might be a nesting ground for them," she said, still smiling at him.

Harry was more than happy to talk about wrackspurts, or nargles, or anything else by this point, so he nodded. "You're probably right," he said. "So how do I get rid of them?"

Luna just looked at him, smiling, and Harry's own small smile slipped as he started to realise that Luna wasn't going to let him off that easily.

"Harry, you like to think of yourself as just a normal boy, don't you?" she asked after a minute.

Harry nodded uncertainly, not sure where Luna was taking the conversation now.

"Well then, why are you feeling so embarrassed about having the same sort of thoughts any normal teenage boy would have, under the circumstances?" she asked, tilting her head a little as though trying to puzzle out the answer for him, despite having asked the question.

Harry could only gape at her. "How did you…?"

"I have good hearing, so I heard some of the conversation last night. I know what Mr Lupin planned to talk with you about today."

Luna waited for Harry to look up at her before continuing. "I'm very glad to be one of the girls you were thinking about, Harry. That's quite a compliment."

Harry had a 'deer caught in the headlights' expression on his face.

"Would it help if I told you that I had the same sort of thoughts about you?" she asked.

_"What?"_ he blurted out, then flinched as he realised how loud he'd said it.

"Harry, it is quite normal to have those thoughts about people you're attracted to," she explained.

"You… you're attracted to _me_?" he asked, disbelievingly.

"Oh yes. You're a very nice person on the inside, and on the outside. Ginny will be ever so jealous when we're married."

_"Married?"_ Harry squeaked.

"Well you did ask me to marry you on the Knight Bus, Harry. I was a little surprised that you didn't want to kiss me a bit first before asking though. When will I get my ring?"

Harry tried to think back to the conversation he'd had the previous day. "Bu-bu-but…" He stammered out.

"Gotcha!" Luna said with a wink.

Harry stared at her in disbelief for a moment, then all of the emotions he'd been feeling that afternoon just overwhelmed him and he started to chuckle, and then laugh outright at her prank. Luna giggled along with him as his laughter helped relieve a lot of the tension that had been building.

"Thanks, Luna, I really needed that," he said gratefully once his laughter passed.

"You're welcome, Harry. Laughter is good for getting rid of wrackspurts after all," she replied softly. She was still smiling at him, but there was an expression on her face he couldn't easily place. Instead of her usual calmness, she seemed… nervous, or… vulnerable perhaps?

In a flash of inspiration he thought back to her recent admission and suddenly realised what her expression meant.

_'Here goes nothing'_ he thought. "I, umm… I know I haven't been as good a friend to you as I could have been at school last year. But these last couple of days have been really good, and, umm… I'd like to get to get to know you a lot better as I'm… attracted-to-you-too," he said, finishing in something of a rush.

Luna squealed happily and launched herself at him in a tight hug, settling herself on his lap. After a minute she loosened her grip so that she could pull her head back from his shoulder and look right into his eyes. "Ask me," she said softly.

Harry gulped, as he realised what she wanted him to ask – but then again, wasn't that what he wanted as well? "Luna, would you please be my girlfriend?" he asked, just as softly.

Luna's eyes grew misty as she replied "Yes, Harry, I would very much like to be your girlfriend."

Harry let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, and grinned. "Thank you," he said, relieved, then a thought occurred to him. "Umm, Luna, I don't really have any experience being a boyfriend. So if I do or say something that I shouldn't, would you please tell me?"

She looked at him oddly. "I don't think you'll have any problems with that, Harry, but yes, I'll let you know when you've said or done something you shouldn't."

She waited patiently for a minute, as though expecting something, and as the pause dragged out, Harry started to wonder if there was something else he was supposed to do.

"Harry, look up. What do you see?"

Harry complied and looked up. He just saw the ceiling of the pub and some lighting, and told her so.

"Harry, what _don't_ you see?" she asked, and then at his confused look, answered her own question. "There's no mistletoe."

Harry thought about that for a moment, and then his expression brightened as he figured it out. "No Nargles!" he said happily, and watched as she gave him a shy smile and a nod.

"Luna, may I kiss you?" He asked.

She looked at him with an expression he hadn't seen on her face before. "Yes, Harry, I would like that," she replied.

Harry suddenly felt nervous. He was about to have his first real kiss since Cho had kissed him last year, and this time he intended to participate in it.

He leaned forward, tilting his head slightly as he did so. Then, closing his eyes, he pressed his lips to hers gently. They were warm and soft, and the kiss was sweet and innocent. He leaned back after a moment, and opened his eyes to look at her face. He watched as she opened her own eyes, and smiled, before he leaned in again. This time he used a little more pressure and motion, which he was pleased to find that she matched.

They broke apart after a couple of minutes and looked at each other again. "That was very nice for a first kiss." Luna said. "I'm going to like being your girlfriend."

Harry was about to agree when his stomach rumbled, informing his owner and anyone within range that it had waited quite long enough for lunch.

Luna laughed at the look on Harry's face, and waved off his apologies. "Come on, Harry, we should be getting back to the others."

She stood up and reached for his hand, which he extended. He was surprised when she took it but didn't head back straight away.

"Harry, I'd rather not announce anything about us to everyone just yet. There are some people we should speak to a little more privately first. Is that okay with you?"

He nodded, somewhat relieved as he had no idea how to really announce something like that anyway.

They walked back to the table and sat down. At the enquiring looks from the others at the table, Luna responded. "I had to help Harry with his wrackspurt infestation. They're gone now."

Xenophilius smiled and nodded. "Good work, Luna. I could see they'd gotten a real hold on him."

Tonks laughed and gave Harry a wink from her seat opposite him. "I hope the treatment wasn't too _hard_ on you."

Harry managed to maintain his composure, but didn't want to push his luck by replying, so just gave a small shrug, and started attacking his lunch. Someone had obviously ordered for him as there was some sort of meat pie and chips in front of him.

It wasn't until he'd nearly finished his lunch that he realised someone was missing. Swallowing his current mouthful, he asked the group generally. "Where is Professor McGonagall?"

~o~

Minerva had flooed to the Leaky Cauldron that morning along with Alastor and Xenophilius, and sat with them as they took a quiet table. Alastor leaned forward and touched his wand to her temple, and Minerva felt some of her memories fade.

"I'll be happier when we don't have to keep doing this, Minerva," he grumped, "but I am glad that you're treating this seriously."

"It will have to do until I can learn Occlumency along with the children," she replied.

Moody continued his grumbling. "Are you sure you don't want me to come along with you when you see Snape. I don't trust the man."

Minerva thought about it. "I would tend to agree with you, but Albus _does_ trust him completely, and we are just going to be discussing school matters. I can't see why I would need another wand for that."

Moody scowled. "Well you be bloody careful anyway. Constant…"

"Vigilance. Yes, I know," she said, joining him in his favourite catch-cry. "I shall see you later for lunch."

As the two men got up and walked out towards Diagon Alley, Minerva got up and went to the floo.

Throwing a handful of floo powder in, she knelt down and called out "Spinner's End."

If Severus Snape was surprised to hear her call out his name, or see his colleague's head in his fire, he didn't let it change his expression.

"Minerva McGonagall. What a pleasant surprise," he said silkily.

"May I come through, Severus? I have some school matters to discuss with you that can't wait until the new term."

"By all means, Minerva, as long as the conversation does not stray from that topic," he said.

Pulling her head back, she watched as the green flames died, and repeated the process of making a connection to Spinner's End before stepping through into the man's kitchen.

He led the way into his tiny sitting room, and gestured for her to take a seat on the threadbare sofa. "Can I offer you any refreshments?" he asked her politely.

_'Constant vigilance'_ she reminded herself. "Not presently, thank you, Severus."

He inclined his head in acknowledgement, and then settled himself in the armchair opposite her. "So, what can I do for you?" he asked.

"Severus, I will speak plainly. I am dissatisfied with the way Potions is being taught at Hogwarts, and there are several things that I would like to see changed in the new term.

"I see," he replied, his tone giving no hint of his opinion of the matter.

"I have detailed my concerns in this parchment, and have listed the changes that I wish to see occur as well," she continued, taking an envelope from her robes, and handing it to him.

He took the envelope from her, and simply placed it on the rickety table between them.

"You are welcome to read it now if you wish," she said. "I could then answer any questions you may have."

He looked at her steadily. "I will read it later. Was there anything else?"

Minerva frowned. "Severus, the concerns I have are quite serious. I thought you might prefer to read through them at your own pace; however I can discuss them with you now if you prefer."

"That will not be necessary. I am sure you have provided sufficient… detail. So if there is nothing else…?" he asked, standing up to end the conversation.

Minerva continued to frown at the man's apparent dismissal of her concerns. "Severus, you should be aware that I have already discussed this with Albus. He has already agreed with the changes I require. Are you quite sure you do not wish to discuss this now?"

He regarded her without changing expression. "I will be sure to let you know if I require any…clarification."

She stood and regarded the man. "Very well. If you cannot reach me, then you may leave a message with Albus. Good day, Severus."

She walked back into the kitchen ahead of him, about to throw in some floo powder when she saw the flash of a spell heading towards her out of the corner of her eye.

And then there was only blackness.

~o~


	13. Chapter 13: Something Wicked

**Thoughts of Pudding by Brian64.**

**Chapter 13: Something Wicked.**

_Monday 24th June, 1996._

Harry's question regarding the whereabouts of Professor McGonagall started a series of exchanged looks amongst the people around the table before Moody growled.

"Damn it, I knew I should have gone with her!" he muttered more to himself than anyone else.

He stopped muttering and addressed the table. "Alright, people, we have a problem! Although I wiped Minerva's memory of the Lovegoods' place, she still remembers we were meeting here, so we are at risk. We need to leave, and we need to leave right now. We'll portkey from the loos. Tonks, you take the ladies, Remus, the men. I'll wait here until you're all away, and then apparate out myself."

Hermione hesitated. "But what about Professor McGonagall? If she's just a bit late, how will she know where to find us?"

Moody was impatient to be leaving. "We'll worry about that when we're not all exposed. Minerva said she'd be here at two. It's half-past and she's still not here. We're going _now_, so move it!" Moody said angrily.

As they started to head towards the toilets, there was the sound of an explosion from a long distance away.

"Change of plans!" Moody yelled, "Activate your portkeys to the safe house, _now_!"

Tonks immediately grabbed Emma and Dan and vanished. Then Xenophilius grabbed his daughter and disappeared as well.

Remus had pulled his wand and was scanning the surrounding area as Moody had already started to do, before he turned to the remaining teens. Harry had drawn his wand and Hermione was in the process of doing the same as well when Remus yelled. "Will you two please get out of here so that we can leave as well?"

Harry nodded, grabbed Hermione's hand and activated his portkey. They emerged into the living room at Privet Drive and chaos.

He barely had time to process what was going on before Remus, and then Moody appeared in the room. Dan and Emma rushed over to Hermione to check that she was okay, and then remained beside her.

Tonks was pointing her wand at Uncle Vernon, who was, as usual, yelling about freaks invading his home. Harry thought he actually had a legitimate point for a change. Petunia was clutching Dudley, and trying to be as inconspicuous as possible in a corner of the room. Luna and her father were both kneeling beside one of the sofas, where someone was lying down. "Professor McGonagall!" he exclaimed. His relieved yell attracted Hermione's attention, and she rushed over to the sofa.

Xenophilius drew his wand. "_Rennervate_," He intoned, and then watched as McGonagall's eyes opened and she sat up. A folded flannel fell from her forehead as she did so.

Elsewhere in the room, Tonks had finally lost her patience. "Alright, shut it, or I'll shut it for you!" Tonks snarled at Vernon. "We can't hear our bloody selves think with you carrying on like that."

Vernon, seeing most of the other 'freaks' in the room now glaring at him, closed his mouth and stomped loudly over to Petunia and Dudley.

Moody took charge of the situation. He walked over to the Dursleys, and was surprisingly polite. "Mrs Dursley, we apologise for invading your home, and we'll explain the emergency a bit later, but could we trouble you for some tea? Perhaps your family might be happier waiting in the kitchen while we sort this out?"

Emma walked over to help her, and Dan followed, presumably not trusting Mr Dursley as far as he could throw him. _'Which wouldn't be far,'_ Moody decided, given the man's girth.

Hermione was torn between wanting to go with her parents to look after them, and wanting to find out what happened to her Professor. The problem was resolved for her when Tonks took up station near the doorway to the kitchen so she could keep an eye on both rooms. She noticed that Remus had done the same thing at the other doorway to the entrance hall.

Moody stomped over to McGonagall. "What happened?" he asked bluntly.

Minerva looked at him. "I'm not entirely sure, Alastor. I'd spoken with Severus, and was about to leave when I saw a spell heading for me. I'm not sure why my portkey brought me here, since I don't remember activating it."

"That would be because I added a dead-man's trigger to it while we were in the _Cauldron_. Any spell hitting you would activate it automatically. Just be glad it was only a stunner."

"Indeed," she agreed.

Moody placed his wand tip to her temple and a few things became clear to her again. She looked up at Moody with a stern expression. "Now that I remember the discussion again, I will repeat my objection to having such a trigger placed on a portkey!"

Moody stared at her in disbelief. "You're bloody welcome!" he said shortly.

"Thank you, Alastor, but simply because you were right this time, does not make you right." Minerva said.

"Stubborn woman! I don't know why you didn't just owl him the letter like I suggested." Moody said.

"Because I have worked with the man for too long to treat him with such disrespect. I had no reason to believe that there would be any reason for him to attack me. That just isn't his way. He is Slytherin for a reason after all," she replied.

"So why would Snape stun you then?" Harry asked, unable to hold the question back any longer.

"_Professor_ Snape," McGonagall responded automatically, before shaking her head, and then wincing at the ache the movement caused. "I'm not sure. There wasn't any reason for it. We barely even spoke, and if anything, he seemed in a hurry to get rid of me. It is most peculiar."

Moody frowned. "Was anyone else there?" He asked.

"Not that I could see. If there was anyone else, they must have been disillusioned, but I don't see how there could have been. There's barely any space for someone to hide with all the bookshelves."

Hermione's eyes widened at the thought of what books might be found on a potion master's bookshelves.

They were interrupted by Emma walking into the room quickly, heading for the television. "You need to see this! It was on the telly in the kitchen."

There was a news broadcast in progress, with a camera on a reporter, who was standing by the Thames. A collapsed bridge was visible in the scene behind him.

_"…Police are asking everyone to please, please stay clear of the area so that we can get the emergency vehicles through. It is still too early to know what has caused the new Brockdale Bridge to collapse, but many people speculate that with the Manchester bombing only a week or so ago, that perhaps this is another attack by the IRA. Others say that it is unlikely that they will have planned another attack so soon, and point to the lack of any warnings beforehand as more than enough reason to look for another cause. For those viewers just tuning in, the Brockdale Bridge has collapsed at the cost of many lives, though we don't have a count yet. The police are asking everyone to keep clear of the area, and advise that they will be setting up a hotline number for people to ring. They ask everyone to please clear the emergency lines which are being jammed by callers, and–"_

"That's enough." Moody said, interrupting the broadcast, and Emma turned the television off.

"Alright, if anyone can think of a good reason why we shouldn't portkey to Sweden right now, speak up quickly."

"How about 'because all my gear is still at the Lovegoods' house?" Tonks said dryly. "Honestly Mad-Eye, we'll portkey there, take ten minutes to finish packing, and then go."

"Alright, we'll do that then, since it'll be ten minutes of arguing otherwise." Moody said in resignation. Ok, everyone, gather round–"

"Just a minute please!" Harry said, before walking over to the Dursleys who had followed the others into the living room.

"Umm, I think you should all leave here, and I mean, as soon as you can! It's really not safe here. I don't know how long the wards– umm, the _protection_ on the house will last, but that bridge collapsing? That was most likely the same evil wizard that killed my parents."

A spark of recognition appeared in Petunia's eyes as she remembered what happened to Dudley the year before, and the events leading up to it. "This is why you were trying to listen to the news last year wasn't it? You thought he'd be doing this back then?" She asked.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, though now we think he held back last year because he was trying to get hold of a prophecy, but there's no reason for him to hold back now."

"Potter! You're wasting your time. We have to obliviate them before we go anyway." Moody said.

"No! They won't be safe here, and if you obliviate them they won't remember why they have to leave." Harry said, before turning back to the Dursleys. "Look, why don't you go and stay with Aunt Marge for a bit. Maybe Dumbledore can find somewhere for you and put you under a _Fidelius_ or something…"

"We're not going anywhere!" Vernon declared, doing his best not to shout since Moody was now standing behind Harry.

"Vernon, I think we should visit your sister. Dudley, go up and pack ONE suitcase." Petunia said to Vernon and Dudley in turn.

"Petunia, I don't think–" Vernon began.

"Vernon, I don't like it any more than you do, but if those freaks can blow up a bridge, then they can blow up a house, and I will _not_ be here with Dudders when they do_. Now go and pack!_" Petunia said, screeching at him at the end.

Throwing up his hands in resignation, Vernon stormed off out of the room and up the stairs.

Petunia looked at Harry with what appeared to be a calculating look. "This is entirely your fault! If I hadn't taken you in when you were left on our doorstep, then we wouldn't be in this mess now," she said, clearly annoyed with him.

A new thought occurred to her and she frowned. "But, it isn't as though you had any choice in the matter is it?" she said, grudgingly, almost to herself.

Harry nodded at her surprised. This was about the nicest he could recall her being to him, if you didn't count her joy yesterday at being able to get rid of him for the summer.

"I never thanked you for saving Dudley last year, did I?" She mused, evidently still thinking about it. "Well, you better go – before that man behind you blows something up."

Harry watched, stunned, as his aunt walked off to presumably pack, and then looked around the room to find the others staring at him. "What?" he asked while walking back to the group.

"Don't ever change, Harry." Hermione said, grabbing him in a hug. He looked over her shoulder at Luna who smiled and nodded slightly to him, so he briefly hugged Hermione back.

"Potter, I have to take out some of their memories. They can't remember the Lovegoods, and there's no need for them to know about the Grangers either. Tonks, you portkey everyone over to the Lovegoods' house and get them packing. We'll be along as soon as we're done here." Moody ordered.

After the others had gone, Moody turned to Harry. "Is there anything else here you need, Potter? You probably won't ever be coming back to this house." Harry shook his head.

"I'm going to do a scan for any magic in the house, just to make sure there isn't anything left behind." Moody said. He waved his wand in a complicated sequence, and then moved to the kitchen and did the same thing. Not finding anything, he stomped off up the stairs with Harry following.

"Now what do you want?" Vernon demanded when he saw them walk past their bedroom door.

"There are still a couple of things you don't need to know about, Dursley. Potter's here to make sure I don't take more than I need to." Moody walked up to him and Vernon backed away.

"Bloody hell, Dursley, stand still so I can put my wand to your head. The alternative is I obliviate your memories willy-nilly. Maybe you'll remember yesterday, maybe you'll forget your own name! You choose!" Moody said, frustrated.

"What memories does he mean, Harry?" Petunia asked.

"My friends, Aunt Petunia. There are people like Professor Dumbledore than can read the thoughts out of your head. If they see your memories of my friends then that will put them in danger." Harry replied.

Petunia thought about that for a moment, and then nodded. "Alright, do what you musts" she said to Moody.

He touched his wand to her head and a short while later he was done.

Petunia frowned. "Was that it? It doesn't seem… I don't… hmm, how very odd? Vernon! Stand still and let him do… whatever it is he does to you so they can leave. It doesn't hurt."

Moody finished with Dursley, and then cast the scan for magic on the room. Something attracted his attention and he stomped over to the wardrobe.

"Here, now, what do you think you're doing?" Vernon blustered, while backing away from the man, clearly intimidated by him.

Moody extracted a box from a high shelf and Petunia gasped. "Oh, I'd forgotten all about that. Take it with you."

Petunia stared at the box with an odd expression before turning to Harry. "It was Lily's."

Moody handed it to Harry. "_Don't_ open it now, we haven't got time," he warned him, before stomping off to Dudley's room.

Harry stood there just staring at the dust covered box. It appeared to be a large wooden jewellery box, but until he opened it, there could be anything inside.

Moody finished in Dudley's room and the spare bedroom that Aunt Marge used before he headed towards Harry's room. He scowled at the many locks on the outside before vanishing the lot of them with an angry wave of his wand.

He came out of Harry's room with a couple of books, which Harry recognised as first year textbooks that he thought he'd lost, and then they walked down the stairs to the front door. Moody took one last look around and then frowned as he looked at the stairs, confused. "There's something there, but…"

He walked up the first few steps, and then looked down at the stairs under his feet, eventually tapping them with his wand. Letting out a frustrated grunt, he went down the stairs again and walked around them to the cupboard door. Shaking his head slightly, he pulled back the bolt and cast a _Lumos_ as he looked inside.

Pulling his head back out of the cupboard and standing up straight again he looked at Harry. "Are you going to tell me how this bloody cupboard has managed to absorb more magical energy than your bedroom?"

Harry looked at his feet, trying to think up an answer that wouldn't get his relatives killed. Alastor cut him off with a glower in the direction of the Dursleys. "Never mind, Harry, the mattress in there already told me. Come on, we're leaving. I need to speak to Minerva."

Harry stood frozen as Moody walked over to him. The discovery of his cupboard had stirred memories he did not particularly want to recall, and it wasn't until he felt the uncomfortable squeezing sensation begin in his stomach that he realised Moody wasn't using a portkey.

A moment later they appeared at the Lovegoods' front door with a pop. _'So that's what Apparition feels like'_ Harry thought.

Moody opened the door and walked in the house without bothering to knock. Harry followed him in. There was a pile of trunks and belongings in one section of the room, and it looked like Dan and Emma were doing some last minute tidying up in the kitchen.

Minerva was sitting at the kitchen table with Remus and the girls, and the many sounds coming down the stairs from above suggested that both Tonks and Xenophilius were in the house as well.

Moody sat down at the table facing McGonagall, and Harry followed him, taking the remaining seat at the end of the table.

"Have you recalled anything else about what happened at Snape's house?" Moody asked Minerva gruffly.

She shook her head. "No, Alastor, it still makes no sense. Severus had several opportunities to stun me earlier if that was what he wanted to do."

"I wouldn't put it past Albus to have told Snape to expect you, and given him instructions on what to do when you showed up. I'm going to want answers from him before Friday, or you won't be going." Moody said.

"How will you do that, Alastor?"

"How do you think? I'll send him an owl. Harry's got one." He frowned, and turned to Harry. "Just where is your owl, Harry?"

"She's out flying. Where else would she be?" Harry replied.

Hermione looked confused. "Hedwig wasn't on the train either, Harry. In fact, I haven't seen her since Hogwarts. Are you sure she's ok? She isn't flying to Surrey, is she?"

"Why would she be flying to Surrey?" Harry asked, wondering what all the fuss was about.

"Well, isn't that where you would normally be?" Hermione replied.

"Yeah, but I'm not there am I? I'm here, and we'll be in Sweden soon, so… Look, if you want to send a letter out just let me know and… you know what, never mind."

He walked over to the window and opened it. He walked back to the table, and as he sat down, Hedwig flew in and circled the room before landing on his shoulder.

"How did you do that?" Hermione demanded, shocked at the owl's appearance.

"How did I do what?" Harry replied, still confused.

"If I may…" Minerva said, joining the conversation. "Harry, we are all quite surprised that you seemed to know that Hedwig was about to fly in, yet she apparently hasn't been seen since Hogwarts. Now, if I understand your reactions correctly, Hedwig always comes to you when you are thinking of her, wherever you are?"

"Of course she does. She knows me now, and she knows I don't like trudging up to the owlery, so whenever I have a letter to send or I'm thinking of her then she comes to me." Harry said, absently reaching up and stroking his familiar as he spoke.

"Well, Mr Potter, that is quite a bond you have with Hedwig, and she's a magnificent owl." Minerva said, reaching over and giving Hedwig a stroke as well. Hedwig nipped her finger gently in appreciation of the compliment.

"Yeah, she is that." Harry agreed. "But I don't know why you're making such a fuss about it. How do you think owls take the post to where they are going anyway? You think they read the address on the envelope? It's just the way the magic works; if they know where they have to go, then why is it so surprising that they can know where they need to be as well?"

Minerva appeared shocked. "That's extremely insightful of you, Harry. I'm not sure that I've ever considered owl post in that way before." She thought for a moment. "If you can prepare a paper on your thoughts and observations about post owls in the next couple of days, I'll send it along to Madam Marchbanks. You should be able to get a few bonus points towards your Care of Magical Creatures OWL."

Harry's eyes widened and he nodded. "Err, sure. Thank you, Professor."

"Speaking of owl post. Do you happen to recall where Harry's Hogwarts letter was sent Minerva?" Moody asked.

"Don't…" Harry said to Moody.

Minerva looked between Harry and Moody. Something had obviously happened at Privet drive. Moody had always referred to him as 'Potter' until then, and what was in the box Harry was holding on his lap?

"The letters are sent out using a charmed quill, Alastor. Why?" she asked, alarm bells just starting to ring.

"Maybe you should check–"

"Don't do this!" Harry interrupted, glaring at Moody. "It's none of your business, or anyone else's!"

"Well, I want to know how the bloody deputy headmistress of Hogwarts could fail to notice that one of her students was living in a cupboard under the bloody stairs long enough for it to pick up more of a magical resonance than your bloody bedroom! Well, Minerva?"

Harry didn't look at the others for their reactions as he rounded on Moody. "Bugger what _you_ want, what about _my_ privacy? You had _no bloody right_ to say anything!" Harry yelled, standing up and storming out the back door, still carrying his box.

Nearly everyone in the room started staring, their gazes moving between Moody and McGonagall, the latter looking quite miserable. She was not alone, as many people looked horrified at the thought of a child growing up in a cupboard.

Minerva composed herself after a couple of minutes and addressed the group that was still looking at her, though focussing mainly on Moody. "There are many ways I could respond, Alastor. The most obvious being what Harry just told you. It is his business, not yours. If he chooses to tell you – _any of you_ – then that is his choice."

She paused a moment to give them a chance to digest her statement, before continuing. "Since you've asked me about my involvement though, I will answer you that much. I do not make a habit of personally reviewing the address of every letter going out to students from Hogwarts. Why would I? Therefore, I was not aware of his living conditions until I started looking into his situation yesterday, and learned more than I ever wanted to."

She paused again to let the others have a chance to comment, but nobody seemed prepared to break the silence that had fallen when she'd stopped talking, and they were instead thinking about what she'd said.

Minerva decided to try and head off any further discussion on the topic. "In any case, it is Harry's business, and I am almost certain that he would not want our pity for how he grew up, nor would he want us gossiping about him."

There was little movement to continue packing as those around the table continued to reflect on what they'd heard. As it turned out, Hermione's thoughts were much the same as everyone else; how on earth was she supposed to _not_ pity him?

~o~

Luna had slipped out the back door during the conversation, and went looking for her boyfriend. She found him sitting on the grass with his back against a tree, facing the creek. The box he'd been carrying was beside him.

"You probably shouldn't sit there you know," she told him.

"Let me guess, there are Blibbering Humdingers in this tree, and they like attacking sulky boys?" he replied, demonstrating his eligibility for attack.

"Well, I'm not sure about that, but you are sitting on an ants' nest."

"What?" Harry said, leaping up and brushing at his clothes.

"Gotcha!" Luna said, smiling.

"Why you…" Harry began as he stalked towards his girlfriend, whose face took on a wicked grin as she started edging backwards, a little too slowly to get away.

Harry closed the distance and grabbed her by her upper arms near her shoulders. "You are, without a doubt…" he started saying.

"Yes, Harry?" Luna said, looking straight into his eyes, and when she did, there was something in that look and her expression that made him completely lose his train of thought.

"You're just…" Harry tried again, captivated by her gaze, but losing interest in whatever he was saying. It wasn't important anyway. Her eyes were much more interesting. "Gorgeous…" he murmured, barely aware that he'd spoken aloud.

He didn't notice it when his hands moved to her waist, drawing her closer to him before wrapping around her back. He didn't even realise at first that her own arms had enveloped him and were holding him just as warmly. Their shared gaze was only broken when they each closed their eyes just before their lips joined together.

~o~


	14. Chapter 14: Välkommen till Sverige

**Thoughts of Pudding by Brian64.**

**Chapter 14: Välkommen till Sverige.**

_Monday 24th June, 1996._

On a shelf in Albus Dumbledore's office, a small silver device started spinning and wailing an alert. The only living occupant of the room was startled from his snooze, and looked over at the device with annoyance.

Fawkes let out a frustrated trill at being woken up, and the still-regrowing phoenix became more and more restless as the irritating wailing continued to fill the room, giving no indication that it would ever stop.

On hearing the alarm, the occupants of the many portraits around the room walked out of their frames, presumably to find and alert Albus, or perhaps simply to escape the noise.

Phineas Nigellus Black returned shortly after checking Grimmauld Place, and watched the phoenix. It seemed that if Dumbledore wanted a seriously good ear biting, he was certainly going the about it the right way. "Give him one for me too, Fawkes," Phineas called out, still unhappy with the headmaster over his involvement in Sirius' death.

~o~

Albus Dumbledore was not someone that easily changed his mind about things he knew to be right. He'd spent a good many hours thinking through what Minerva had told him the previous evening, and decided that, from a certain point of view, she had a very good point.

The question was though; did he subscribe to that point of view?

He was forced to conclude that there simply wasn't enough information in a single conversation with one person, no matter how much he respected their opinion, for him to make a real decision on the matter.

In the meantime of course, Harry was at risk, and that was more important than anything else. The wizarding world was at stake, and he shuddered at the thought that any death eater that saw Harry could easily whisk him off to Voldemort before anyone was the wiser.

Surely a few days with the Dursleys while alternative arrangements were made would be acceptable? Harry was understandably upset at the loss of Sirius, but the boy had proven time and time again that he would do what was right, not what was easy.

If he could only explain to Harry that he just needed a few days, he was sure he would understand.

He reached the door he'd been walking towards and knocked.

"Who's there?" said a nervous voice he recognized as Mrs Weasley's. "Declare yourself!"

"It is I, Albus Dumbledore," he replied.

The door opened, revealing a frazzled looking Molly Weasley, wearing a faded apron. Molly's reaction to stress was often to cook.

"Has there been any word on Harry?" she asked him, inviting him inside.

"Yes, Molly, there has, and before you ask, I believe that he is fine, or at least he was last evening. Perhaps we could sit and talk about it with your family over a cup of your wonderful tea?"

Molly appeared a little flustered. "Most of them are at work, Albus. Arthur and Percy are at the Ministry of course, Bill's at Gringotts, and Charlie's still in Romania. The twins are at their new shop, and I hardly ever see them now. Ron and Ginny are out the back on their brooms, so I'll put the kettle on and call them in."

She started walking off to the kitchen before she turned around again. "You're sure he's all right?

Albus smiled at her in reassurance. "I'm certain that he was fine when I left my office."

Molly gave a wan smile and turned back to her task, leaving Albus to find his own seat at the table.

A little while later she returned with her slightly flushed children. Albus noted that Ron and Ginny's windswept hair gave evidence that they had been flying only a few minutes earlier. Of course, the fact that they were each carrying broomsticks helped support the conclusion as well.

"Hello, sir." "Good afternoon, Professor Dumbledore," they said in greeting, somewhat nervously. Their headmaster wasn't so frequent a visitor that they were comfortable in his presence.

Molly brought the tea over, and they were all soon seated at the table with cups in hand.

Molly had barely sat down before the anxiety over Harry that Albus had instilled yesterday evening spilled over. "What can you tell us about Harry, Albus? You said he hadn't arrived at the Dursleys' last night, so where is he now? Why isn't he here with you at least?"

Albus took a small sip of his tea as he considered the questions and looked around the table as he did so. Ginny was looking directly at him, and using passive Legilimency he was able to sense concern from her. Quite understandable under the circumstances, Dumbledore thought.

He saw that Ron was looking down at his teacup with a very faint smile. Was the boy glad Harry was missing? Surely this wasn't a resurgence of the jealousy that he'd had for Harry over the Tri-Wizard tournament.

Dumbledore thought about how to respond to Molly's questions, and began to speak. "As I mentioned when I arrived Molly, I believe Harry is presently fine, though he is not at the Dursleys'."

Ginny snorted, and then reddened when everyone turned to her.

"Well, I'm not surprised he's fine if he's not there. He hates it at the Dursleys, and they're horrible to him!" she said venomously.

Albus peered at her over his half-moon spectacles. "Is there something you wish to share with us, Miss Weasley? Has he said anything to you, perhaps?" Albus asked.

Ginny blushed even more at the scrutiny. "No, he hasn't said anything. But it's obvious to anyone that knows him," she said.

"Be that as it may, there are powerful wards in place that keep him safe there. Wards that need him to be living there each summer, I'm afraid to say" Albus said, rebuking her with his tone.

"Afraid… why Albus?" Molly asked.

"If he cannot be found soon and returned to Privet Drive to recharge the wards, then they will fail permanently." Albus replied.

Ron looked up briefly at that statement, before looking back down at his cup. Albus got a very fleeting impression of guilt, but it was gone before he could examine it. It certainly bore watching, as Albus got the distinct impression that Ron knew something.

"Well what word do you have Albus? You said there was some news when you arrived." Molly said.

Albus thought for a moment on how to break the news, and even considered asking the children to leave first, before deciding that their reactions might prove to be valuable. Especially if Ron was in some way involved as he now suspected.

"I had a visit from Minerva after visiting you last night. I had sent her, and some others, to Privet Drive earlier to look for Harry. When she eventually reported back, I'm afraid she wasn't very happy with me. In fact, I'd have to say that she was quite vocal in her opinions about some of the decisions I have made."

Albus thought he ought to clarify his views on Minerva's opinions, as he didn't want to risk a rift developing between Minerva and Molly. "I cannot say that she was wrong in her views, though of course, I might disagree with them." Albus said the last with a small chuckle before continuing.

"In any case, Minerva knew where Harry was, and stated her intention to keep him safe… from me," he concluded, and then looked around at the others to see their reactions.

Surprise was very much evident on both of the children's faces, but Molly was staring openly at him. Her emotions were seemingly warring with each other, with confusion eventually winning out.

"But… how could she? Why would… Was she _Imperiused_?" she asked.

"No, Molly, she wasn't under the Imperius or any other compulsion that I could detect." Albus said.

"Then why…?" Molly asked, trailing off.

Molly's thoughts were in chaos. She'd known both Albus and Minerva since she was a Hogwarts student, and she thought she knew both of them quite well. It sounded as though Minerva had plucked Harry away from the Dursleys' house and given Albus a piece of her mind, but what could have provoked that?

Ginny's earlier statement came back to mind and Molly thought about how Harry usually arrived at her home each summer. Suddenly all of the little clues seemed to fall into place and Minerva's actions didn't seem quite so hard to understand.

Albus watched as Molly's eyes narrowed, and he sighed. He had been afraid of this. Most people simply weren't able to take the larger view needed when it came to fighting a war. But it was still better that she heard the true story from him now, than for her to receive it second or third-hand from others later.

Molly's tone, when she spoke, confirmed his suspicion that she too was now coming to distrust him.

"Who were the others you mentioned Albus? Did they go along with whatever she's done as well?" Molly asked.

"I sent Alastor, Remus and Nymphadora to Privet Drive after Minerva to help her. I haven't heard from any of them since, though from what she said last night, Alastor at least has been helping her. None of them were at their houses this morning when I checked. Since Minerva mentioned having spoken to Miss Granger yesterday, I apparated over to her house before coming here. All of the Grangers have gone as well."

Ron looked up again at his last few words, and Albus picked up another emotion from him; betrayal.

Albus decided that he was justified in using Legilimency on Ron, since it was evident that he knew something. He picked up only a few thoughts before Ron looked down again. _'Why would Hermione have gone as well? That wasn't part of the plan.'_

Albus focussed his attention on Ron in the hope of picking up more information. "Mister Weasley, you are a close friend to both Harry and Miss Granger. Have they said anything that might suggest where they might have gone _together_?" He asked, hoping to prompt a reaction with his slight emphasis on the last word.

He got more than he wanted as a storm of thoughts raced around Ron's head at his question.

_'Harry-and-Hermione-together! No-no-no-no-NO! Why-why-WHY-did-he-always-have-to-have-EVERYTHING? Money-fame-Firebolt-now-Hermione-too! Why-didn't-they-tell-me-about-them… about-the-change-of-plans? Because? Because? Because-they-didn't-want-me-to-know! Stupid-stupid-stupid! Maybe-it-wasn't-really-Luna's-plan-after-all…'_

"Mister Weasley?" Albus asked him again, trying to keep the elation from his voice. Luna was involved somehow. He wanted to leave now so he could check the Lovegoods' house for Harry.

"No, they didn't say anything to me." Ron said, slumping in misery.

"Well then, I think I'd best be off in further search of Harry. I do hope you will let me know if you hear from him. I'm not expecting to hear from Minerva again until Friday evening, but I will let you know if I hear any news of Harry. Good day to you all."

Molly frowned as she watched him rise from the table and leave. She had more questions to ask, but didn't want to delay him if he was searching for her boy.

A short time later Dumbledore apparated to the Lovegoods' house, and knocked on their door.

~o~

Vanir looked up from his desk as he heard the light chime of the wards announcing an incoming portkey. He watched as a group of 10 people appeared, all holding on to an enlarged golden chain.

He smiled as most of them tumbled to the ground after trying, and failing, to keep a black haired teen upright. _'Ah, fler turister' (Ah, more tourists)_ he thought to himself as he walked up to the reception counter to join his assistant.

~o~

"Hey, loverboy, don't you think you should buy me a drink first?" Tonks asked, winking at the furiously blushing Harry who had managed to fall on top of her.

"Oh God, Tonks, I'm sorry! I've been getting better at Portkey landings but–"

Remus interrupted the apology. "No, Harry, the correct response is; 'So, Tonks, do you want to go for a drink later then?'

At Harry's glare, Remus stopped chuckling and raised his hands slightly in an 'alright, I'll leave it alone' gesture.

They were both distracted by Luna's laughter, and like everyone else, they looked over at her. "Go…for… a…drink…later…" she said, whenever she could catch her breath between laughs.

"Well, Harry, are you planning on getting up anytime soon, or should I make myself more comfortable?" Tonks asked, amused and waggling her eyebrows.

As Tonks started speaking, Harry realised where he still was and let out an unmanly squeak of embarrassment. With so many other bodies sitting and standing around them, he couldn't work out how to get off her without making things any worse. Fortunately Dan recognised the problem and gave him a helping hand up.

Once everyone had regained their feet, and in Harry's case, his composure, Xenophilius led the way to a counter marked _'Inkommande – Arrivals'_. The others took in the scene around them, as they followed a few paces behind.

They were in the foyer of an ultra-modern looking building with a large sign proclaiming it to be the _'Svenska Magidepartementet, Utrikesterminalen – Swedish Department of Magic, International Terminal'_. Underneath it was another sign; _'Välkommen till Sverige – Welcome to Sweden'_. Harry was extremely glad the signs were in both Swedish and English, and began to hope that this was common throughout Sweden.

In addition to the counter they were heading towards, there was another a few feet away marked _'Avgående – Departures'_, which was currently unattended. A little further away, other counters were marked _'Inrikes Ärenden – Internal Affairs'_, _'Utrikes Ärenden – External Affairs'_, _'Näringsliv - Commerce'_, and _'Svenska Magiska Ordningsmakten – Magical Law Enforcement'_. Doors led off to unknown rooms, and on one wall was a faded sign; _'Spotta ej på golfve – не плюйте на полу – don't spit on the floor'_.

As Xenophilius approached the two men at the counter, he started muttering loudly to himself. "Oh dear… hmm, _Goeiedag_, _Namasté_, _Ka farsken, e det du_? No, that's not it…"

Luna walked up beside him as her father continued his muttering. "…_Zdravstvuite_, _Guten Tag_, _Konnichi wa_…"

Luna smiled at the older man bearing a nametag.

"Hallå där, Vanir!" _(Hi there, Vanir)_ she greeted him happily.

"Goddag, unga dam. Se där, välutbildad dessutom." _(Good day young lady, What do you know, well-educated to boot.)_ he replied, smiling warmly at her before turning to Xenophilius and interrupting his recital. "Do you have your papers and Portkey, sir?"

"…_Asalaam aleikum– _What? Papers? Oh yes, of course, of course. Here we are."

He handed over a parchment and the charm bracelet that had been their Portkey.

Vanir tapped his wand to the parchment, and then to a clipboard he'd picked up from the counter. He looked around briefly at the group, before looking back at the clipboard, nodding to himself and then repeating the process with the Portkey bracelet.

"This all seems to be in order. Your return date is unspecified, but you will need to check back here if you stay longer than three months. This parchment will serve as your visa until then." He was about to hand back the parchment and Portkey when his assistant interrupted him and whispered in his ear.

Vanir turned to Remus. "You are a lycanthrope, sir?" he asked, preparing himself for possible trouble.

Remus nodded uncomfortably.

Vanir kept an eye on the other tourists for their reactions. This didn't seem to surprise any of them so he relaxed.

"I'm sorry, sir, but there are a couple of requirements for you to follow if you wish to remain here, and others if you remain here during a full moon. If you would follow Sören please."

Vanir noticed the concerned reactions of the group, and tried to reassure them. "There will be no harm to him, I promise you, only a minor inconvenience for your friend that all lycanthropes in our country must comply with."

Remus nodded, and turned to the group. He smiled as he saw that Harry's hand was on his wand ready to defend him despite the boy's current animosity towards him. "I'm sure it'll be fine," he said, and followed the other official through a door marked _'Avdelningen för magiska varelser – Division for Magical Beings'_.

Vanir turned to the group and opened a conversation with them. "He will be back with you very soon. So, do you know where you will be staying?" he asked, directing the question at Xenophilius.

"Yes, yes… we will be camping at the lake near Näshulta. We are looking forward to hiking in the forest."

"Ah, Näshultasjön! Very nice area. Very good choice." Vanir said. He reached behind the counter for a small brochure that looked muggle-printed, and handed it to Xenophilius. "This is just a few guidelines for camping. Most of this is common sense for people that have respect for the environment."

Xenophilius nodded and took the brochure, leafing though it quickly.

Vanir thought about what he wanted, and then held his wand to a seemingly blank parchment. A few moments later he removed his wand and scanned the now full parchment before handing it over to Xenophilius.

"Here is a map and some directions to reach your destination. As you can see, we are here in Linköping. You can take the shuttle train to Katrineholm, which is a 42 minute journey. From there you can take a bus ride on line 214 to the bus stop at Hökärr. From there you can be driven to Fagernäs in Näshulta."

Xenophilius took the parchment with gratitude. "Thank you, Vanir. That is very helpful of you. Very helpful."

Vanir waved off the thanks. "It is nothing," he said, before thinking of something and smiling. "Still, if you should run into Janne Krake, you might say _'goddag'_ for me."

Hermione stepped forward and addressed Vanir. "Excuse me, sir, but where would we find Gringotts branches here?" she asked.

"There are a number to choose from." Vanir replied. "The main ones are in Stockholm, Östersund, and here in Linköping. I'd recommend Stockholm, simply because the bank is right in the Västerlånggatan; one of our more famous magical shopping districts."

Vanir rummaged around behind his counter and pulled out a parchment. He scanned it briefly to check it was what he was looking for, and then rolled it up into a scroll. "This lists most of the main services you are likely to need, including the Gringotts locations. Would you like me to make it into a Portkey to their Stockholm office?"

"Yes, please." Hermione said, nodding eagerly.

Vanir concentrated a moment before tapping the scroll with his wand and murmuring _'Göra Läge'_." The scroll glowed blue, and Hermione's eyes widened briefly as she pondered the possible tactical advantages of casting spells in a language your enemies didn't know and couldn't prepare for.

Vanir handed her the scroll. "There you are, miss. Simply tap the scroll with your wand and say _'Gringotts'_, and this will serve as a one way Portkey for anyone holding it.

She took the scroll with thanks, and stepped back before unrolling it and becoming lost in the information contained within it.

Vanir turned back to Xenophilius. "If there is nothing else, then you are welcome to leave when your friend returns. He should be back any– ah, there he is now." Vanir said, looking in the direction of the door Remus and his colleague had entered earlier, and seeing both men returning.

The group watched as Remus headed over to re-join them. He appeared to be generally happy, and it was hard not to notice he was now wearing a silvery new earring.

Moody stomped up to him as he arrived. "You do know that thing is a Portkey, don't you?" He asked.

Remus nodded. "Yes, and a couple of other things besides. It's designed to portkey me to the _'Anywere'_ sanctuary for the full moon automatically."

"Want me to disable it?" Moody asked softly, to avoid being overheard by the staff.

Remus shook his head. "I'm not sure you could do that without setting off any alarms, and it will probably activate if you tried. Best just leave it alone. Besides, I'm very curious about the sanctuary, it sounds… quite humane actually," he said, thoughtfully, before looking around to see everyone focussed on him.

He raised an eyebrow in some amusement at their attention. "Is it really so surprising that I want to know more? Britain's treatment of werewolves is something I've experienced first-hand for most of my life. It never occurred to me to wonder whether other countries might have a more… civilised approach."

Minerva approached him from his side and put a hand on his shoulder. She'd known him since his arrival at Hogwarts as a first year student, and knew his life had been difficult. "I think I understand, Remus. It's just a surprise to me – well, to all of us I suspect."

Remus nodded, and then looked around at the group. "So, are we done here?"

There was general agreement that they were ready to go, and they said their farewells to Vanir and Sören as they left.

"Varför måste dom snygga brudarna vara britter?" _(Why do all the pretty birds have to be British?)_ Sören asked Vanir as he watched the group leave. Vanir cuffed him on the back of his head just as the blonde girl looked over her shoulder and gave them a knowing smile. She gave them another little wave before turning back and attaching herself to the teenaged boy's left arm.

"Det ska fan och vara gift." _(It's a shame I'm married)_ Vanir muttered to himself, as he watched them walk off.

~o~

Kingsley Shacklebolt wasn't usually one to complain about his assignments, yet as he walked down Parliament Street from the Westminster station, he wondered whether being posted as secretary to the Muggle Prime Minister might be undervaluing his skills just a little.

As he turned the corner into Downing Street, he had good reason to change his mind. A swarm of police were taping off the area, and his eyes were drawn to the body lying on the side of the street.

_'It can't be.'_ He thought, and started moving towards the figure automatically, drawing the attention of three nearby Bobbies who moved towards him. He pulled his identification from his pocket and held it up, still staring at the dead woman.

One of the policemen put his hand on his chest to physically stop him from moving closer. "That's close enough, sir. Move along please unless you know anything that can help us?" The constable said, not overly impressed. The ID showed the man to be the PM's secretary, so he had reason to be in the area, but that was it.

_'Oh, Emmy, what happened?'_ Kingsley wondered as he turned away and walked on to Number 10. It would be hours before his shift ended and he would have an opportunity to discuss this with Albus and the rest of the Order.

That afternoon though, the news came through the PM's office that the Brockdale Bridge had been attacked and destroyed somehow. Kingsley decided it was more important to work back so that he could stay close and protect his charge, than to report the death of Emmeline Vance.

~o~

Back in the headmaster's office, Phineas was becoming very concerned for Fawkes.

That ridiculous device had continued to wail loudly, and over time the phoenix had gone from distress to actual trembling. His sorrowful trills were becoming less frequent now.

_'Damn it, Dumbledore! Where are you?'_ he raged in frustration. There was nothing he could do but keep checking in at Grimmauld Place periodically, and bully the other portraits to keep checking their other frames as well.

_'He better get here soon!'_

~o~

Albus Dumbledore was getting frustrated. The Lovegoods' house was as empty as the others he'd visited, and he had run out of leads to follow up. There was still no sign of the Order members he'd sent to Surrey either, and he hoped that they were all safe.

It never even occurred to him that Minerva's claim that Harry was beyond his reach might have been based on more than just words intended to deter him from looking.

_'Perhaps Hagrid has heard from Harry?'_ he wondered, matching thought to deed as he apparated to the edge of the forbidden forest. It was the closest spot to Hagrid's hut that he could reach.

A short walk and a long conversation over cup of tea later, Albus was walking from the hut back to his office. Hagrid hadn't even heard that Harry was missing from the Little Whinging, and it had taken more time that he wanted to spare to settle the man down – a lot more time.

Taking a shortcut from the main entrance to his office, he was startled to see someone else in the almost empty school.

"Ah, Severus I'm surprised to see you here. I thought you would be enjoying your holidays."

Albus looked at the expression on the potion master's face and was concerned. "Is there a problem, Severus?" He asked.

"Yes, headmaster, there is!" Snape snarled angrily.

Albus sighed. He got the impression that this was likely to take a while as well.

~o~

Harry looked out across the lake. There was enough light in the land of the midnight sun that he could see the forest extending on the other bank, and he felt an urge to explore it. Near where he was standing was an old wreck of a rowboat that he was sure a _Reparo_ charm or two should be able to fix in the morning, and wondered if he would get the chance.

"_Erecto._"

Harry turned at the sound of the spell in time to see one of the two wizard tents they'd brought along assemble itself, then stake itself to the ground. Xenophilius put away his wand, and went inside.

A minute later, a similar, though substantially newer-looking tent was staked down alongside it, and Moody was stalking around the campsite casting spells. "_Salvia Hexia… Protego Totalum… Repello Muggletum… Muffliato._"

"Alastor, what about _'Cave Inimicum'_?" Minerva asked.

"I was just about to cast it." Moody grumped, before casting the spell.

"Of course you were." Minerva agreed, smiling. She caught Harry's eye and, to his surprise, winked at him to share the joke.

Harry entered the Lovegoods' tent and was once again amazed at what magic could accomplish. What looked like a small two man tent on the outside was a three bedroom apartment, with bathroom, kitchen and living area. True, it would be a little crowded if the other six adults were going to join them, but it had more than enough space for himself, Xenophilius, and the two girls. Hermione's parents and the four Order members would share rooms in the other tent.

Hearing the girls' voices from behind one of the closed doors, and seeing Xenophilius moving around the other bedroom, Harry opened the third door and went into what was going to be his room for the next few days. Or was it weeks?

He realised that he had no idea how long they were actually going to be in Sweden. He assumed they would be back at Hogwarts in September, but then remembered that even that wasn't certain from what McGonagall had said after her meeting with the headmaster.

He pondered this as he pulled his trunk out of his pocket and restored it to normal size with a wand tap. He pulled the clothes out of it and started putting them away in the small wardrobe and drawers. There was even a small desk and chair he could use to study at, though since he had just finished his OWLs at the end of last year, he didn't have any summer homework to complete.

He chuckled as he wondered if Hermione had realised that yet. She'd be horrified! He made a note to think of some problems that she could work on solving if it looked like she was getting restless.

Come to think of it, he actually did have some schoolwork to do. McGonagall had asked him to write a paper on post owls that she could submit to her friend on the examinations board.

He tried to work out whether he was more awake than tired, and decided he could make a start on it at least. He pulled out some parchment, ink and a quill and placed them on the small desk, then turned back to his trunk. He sat on his bed as he dug through it trying to find his Care of Magical Creatures textbooks to see if they would be any help.

The _Monster Book of Monsters_ didn't have anything on the subject, and neither did _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_. Harry shook his head in amazement at the blindness of wizards. One of the most common and useful magical creatures in the wizarding world was so overlooked, that it didn't even rate a mention.

Thinking for a moment, he looked up 'House-Elf'. _'Hippogriff… Horklump… Imp….'_ Nope, just as he expected, there was nothing on the subject. He checked a few more entries just in case, but didn't find anything he was looking for, and flicked back to the Hippogriff entry. Typical! Hermione would rant for hours if she realised this.

"All right, who are you and what have you done with Harry Potter?"

_'Speak of the devil...'_ He looked up as he heard Hermione's voice, and saw both Hermione and Luna in his bedroom doorway. They had both changed ready for bed, and he was still not used to seeing them in their nightwear. Although it was a sight he was quite willing to become accustomed to, he admitted to himself.

"I just thought I'd do some work on that paper on post owls Professor McGonagall asked me for." Harry said.

Hermione moved into the room and looked down at the book he was reading, then looked at Harry with some amusement. "Harry, you don't really expect to find post owls listed under 'H' do you?"

He smiled along with her. "Nope, there was nothing under either 'O' or 'P', so I thought I'd look up another magical creature that wizards might have overlooked." Harry said, then counted backwards to himself; _'3…2…1…'_

Hermione grabbed at the book in his hands. "Give me that!" She demanded shortly. She flicked through the pages looking for the entry that should be there, but wasn't, and then started looking closer to the beginning of the book.

"You won't find them listed under 'Elf' either." Harry said, knowing exactly what had sparked Hermione's ire.

"Ooh, I can't _believe_ it!" She started, and Harry took the book from her hands and decided to try and head her off before _Mount Granger_ erupted.

"Hey, this is a _good_ thing Hermione, really! This means you can write the definitive book on House-Elves and there'll be no competition for sales. I'll write one on Post Owls, and Luna will write one on Crumple Horned Snorkacks, since neither of those are listed either. We're all going to make an absolute killing!"

Hermione stared at him for a moment trying to decide whether he was joking or not, and when she saw his lips twitch she pushed him back on his bed with an "Oh, you… I almost thought you were serious for a minute."

"Nope, I'm Harry," he replied with a grin, without really thinking about it.

Hermione's eyes widened, and her smile froze, and Harry realised what he'd said. He sat up on the edge of the bed again, and Hermione sat down beside him. Luna moved over to the bed and sat on his other side.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked cautiously, putting an arm around his back and her hand squeezing his shoulder.

Harry thought about it. "You know what? Yeah, I think I am. I mean, it still hurts, but not like it used to."

Hermione hugged him. "I'm so glad, Harry."

She felt Harry tense up at the hug and pulled back to see him looking at Luna, who didn't appear concerned. It didn't take the smartest witch of her generation long to work out what was going on.

"Oh, honestly, Harry. I'm one of your best friends and your _girlfriend_ knows it. You don't have to get so worried every time I give you a hug." Hermione scolded him.

Harry looked at Hermione and then looked over at Luna who smiled and nodded her agreement.

"Umm, okay." Harry said. "So… how did you know? We only worked it out ourselves this afternoon."

Hermione smiled at him. "Oh, Harry, I knew before you did!" she said, winking at his look of amazement.

"Alright, I give up," Harry said with a light-hearted chuckle. "There's no way I can compete with the two smartest witches in Hogwarts."

Luna looked surprised. "I didn't know you'd checked my grades, Harry? How did you know I was ahead in my year?"

Harry looked stunned. "I didn't," he said, before recovering the amusement he'd had before. "But then again, you agreed to be my girlfriend, so that proves you're smart!" he said, striking a pose.

The two girls burst out laughing, and Harry's smile fell until he realised that that they were laughing with him, and then he started laughing too.

Hermione recovered first. "Well, Harry, I must say I didn't expect that. You've been so… _on edge_ lately, that it's really good to hear you joking around." She turned to Luna and beamed at the blonde girl. "You keep up the good work, Luna. Our Harry here deserves to be happy."

Hermione gave Harry a kiss on the cheek and got up and went over to Luna and gave her a hug. "I'm off to bed. I'll see you in the morning," she said to Harry, and then she walked out the door and closed it behind her.

"I really do like her a lot, Harry" Luna said to him.

"Me too," Harry said. "She's been my closest friend since a couple of months after I started Hogwarts."

"Friends are very important, and close friends are like family. You know that she loves you, don't you, Harry?" Luna asked.

Harry hadn't started to get used to the way Luna said exactly what she thought, but resolved to try and do the same since he was now her boyfriend. "I think I do, Luna" he said.

Luna nodded. "Well, she does." Luna pondered the thought for a moment before adding, "Probably more than I do actually, but that's because she's known you longer. Why didn't you ever ask her to be your girlfriend?" She asked.

Harry was a little surprised at the question, and began to worry that this was some kind of 'girlfriend test' before realising that Luna would never do something like that. "I don't really know. I suppose it's because I never thought about her in that way."

Luna frowned. "Why not? Don't you think she's pretty enough?"

Harry looked a little offended at the idea. "Huh? Of course she is. That's not it. I suppose that I had her in a little box in my head marked 'friend', and never considered her for any other role."

"Or maybe there was another reason?" Luna prompted.

"Maybe... maybe I just thought that I didn't want to risk the friendship we had. Or maybe I just got the idea that Ron had already seen her as a potential girlfriend after the Yule ball in our fourth year, and I didn't want to poach. It really doesn't matter, as I'm perfectly happy with you." Harry said.

"That's sweet of you to say, Harry. I'm just glad we cleared out those wrackspurts today. They really were giving you the stupidest ideas! We'll have to make sure they don't come back, because I wouldn't want you to decide to stop being my boyfriend if Ron ever said he wanted me."

"I wouldn't do that, Luna" Harry said, somewhat surprised at her comment.

"But you just said you would let him have Hermione because you thought he wanted her." She cocked her head to the side inquisitively. "So what is the difference?"

"Well, you are my girlfriend now, Hermione wasn't." Harry clarified.

"Oh, so if we hadn't had that conversation this afternoon, and instead Ron had told you yesterday he was interested in me, you wouldn't have asked me to be your girlfriend?"

"Err, I don't know." Harry said, looking down at his lap. The troubling thing was that he did know and decided to be honest about it. "You're right, Luna, I probably wouldn't have asked. It would have felt like betraying Ron."

"Why, Harry? Why should Ron have the first chance to court a girl like me or Hermione?"

Harry fiddled with a loose thread on his shirt while he thought about how to reply. "I guess… I guess I just felt like, you know, he deserved it… and I didn't. I thought that, well, maybe if I let him get the first chance at any girl we both liked then maybe he wouldn't feel like life always handed him cast-offs and hand-me-downs."

Luna frowned at his reply, and Harry blanched at her expression; he really didn't like seeing her frown and this was the second time in the last few minutes. "That… is very silly, Harry," she intoned severely. "And very wrong. I thought Ron was your friend?"

"Huh?"

"Well, you just said that you don't think he has a chance of competing with you for a girl's affections," Luna answered. "I don't think that was very nice of you."

"But I didn't mean it like that, I just… I guess…" he sighed, and resolved to try and think things through more next time. "You're right. I was being silly, wasn't I?" He asked her.

Luna smiled. "Yes, you were."

She leaned in and gave him a tender kiss. They lost themselves in the kiss for a few minutes before Luna pulled back.

"I do love you, Harry, but I want you to think about what we've talked about tonight. I want you to be with me because you want to be _with me_, not because you've settled for me because you didn't get the girl you really wanted."

She gave him another kiss before she said goodnight and left Harry alone with his thoughts.

~o~


	15. Chapter 15: Fawkes

**Thoughts of Pudding by Brian64.**

**Chapter 15: Fawkes.**

_Monday 24th June, 1996._

When Luna returned to the room she shared with Hermione, she quietly slipped into bed and then softly said _'Nox'_ to cancel the light from her wand.

She lay silently for a moment, and then got out of her own bed and approached Hermione's.

"Would you move over a bit, Hermione? You haven't left much room." She lifted the covers and waited for Hermione to budge over.

"What? Luna, why are you… what's wrong with your bed?" Hermione asked, a catch in her voice.

"Nothing's wrong with it," she replied, "but we need to talk, and you need a hug; and I can't very well hug you from my bed, and since it's a little chilly at this time of night I'd rather be under the blankets, but there isn't really enough room unless you scoot over a bit." Luna said, without seeming to have drawn a breath while doing so.

Hermione wasn't given much opportunity to argue, as Luna had started climbing into the bed whether she moved or not. She slid herself further over to the other side of her bed and contemplated the lack of space she now had. There really wasn't a lot of spare room, as these were little more than large single beds.

Hermione was about to tell Luna that she really didn't feel like talking, when the blonde witch reached for her right arm, and held it up so that she could crawl up against her side. Luna then placed Hermione's arm around her and then wrapped her own right arm around Hermione's waist, while her left arm wormed its way under her pillow.

Hermione froze as Luna placed her head on her shoulder, and then squeezed her in a hug.

"That's better." Hermione heard her murmur, and once she got over her shock at being held while lying in bed, she did feel a little better. Another tear slid down her cheek to join those she'd already shed since climbing into bed.

"Hermione, why didn't you ever ask Harry to be your boyfriend?" Luna asked softly.

"What? Why would you ask that?" Hermione said, somewhat hastily. "It's okay, Luna, I wouldn't try to steal y-your b-boyfriend."

"Oh, Hermione, you don't have to worry about me thinking something like that about you. I'm actually quite good at working out what people are likely to do, and I know you wouldn't do anything like that," she said, reassuringly. "But, you are avoiding the question. You know he loves you, so why didn't you ever ask him?"

"Well, if he loved me, why didn't _he_ ask _me_ then?" Hermione said a little petulantly, as other tears slid unnoticed in the dark.

"Because he was scared of losing your friendship, and because he thought that since Ron wanted you, then that meant he shouldn't get in the way. I also think that because of the way he grew up, he didn't have much of a chance to see how people who love each other behave."

Hermione hadn't really expected an answer, but having received one, she focussed on what appeared to be the root cause of her problem.

"Of all the stupid… why would he think that Ron and I would make a good couple? We argue _all_ of the time, we have almost nothing in common – except Harry of course. His table manners are appalling, and I don't think he has any interests other than eating, sleeping, Quidditch, playing chess, and… and… and the colour orange!" Hermione concluded, having exhausted her knowledge of Ron's interests.

"What really makes me mad, though, is that he ridicules me for my study habits, and then expects me to let him copy my notes and help him with his homework. Honestly, what exactly am I supposed to find attractive about all that?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know, Hermione, as I don't think he's right for you either." Luna replied. "But we weren't talking about you and Ron. Why won't you answer my question?"

"I… I…" Hermione began, but couldn't answer the question.

"You were afraid of losing his friendship." Luna stated, answering for her.

"Yes." Hermione agreed softly.

"You were afraid he didn't think you were pretty enough."

"Yes." Hermione agreed again, her tears flowing freely now. _Oh Lord! On top of everything else I'm turning into Cho Chang, the human hosepipe,_ she thought, miserably.

"You were afraid of being rejected if you asked."

"Yes." Hermione whispered, while thinking; _Please stop, I can't… I can't…_

It was as much as she could do to keep some semblance of control. As the silence after her reply grew, Hermione hoped that Luna had ended her interrogation.

"I suppose it didn't help that he spent a lot of his time looking at Cho Chang either? She asked.

Hermione wasn't going to talk about what she thought of Cho. That girl had hurt Harry.

"Well, I think it's quite obvious to me that you've got just as big an infestation of wrackspurts as Harry had this morning." Luna said.

Hermione wasn't prepared for that comment at all. Luna had just managed to get her to admit her biggest secret – the one she'd been trying to keep even from herself – and now she was talking about some of her made-up nonsense creatures.

It was all too much! Especially on top of the realisation she'd had on leaving Harry's room that she was going to lose him. He'd start spending more and more time with his _girlfriend_ now, and before long she would become just another Gryffindor to him, like Lavender or Parvati. She'd get a smile and a wave as he left the common room perhaps? Maybe some idle conversation over lunch. She could see the progression from best friend, to close friend, to–

Hermione's rambling thoughts were interrupted as Luna had evidently given up waiting for any sort of response to her comment about wrackspurts; assuming she expected any.

"I also think that you should have used some of your Gryffindor courage and asked him out yourself. You could have saved each other quite a lot of grief you know. Harry has been starving for affection, and he had no way of working out how to show it. As his best friend, you should have been able to see that." Luna said, not quite as calmly as she had been.

Hermione couldn't hold her composure any longer, and gave in to the quiet sobs she'd tried stifling when Luna opened the door and came into the room. She tried to pull away from Luna and roll onto her side facing away from her, but Luna held her tightly and wouldn't let her move.

"Hermione, you can't solve a problem until you can see it clearly. Now that you can, how are you going to solve it?" Luna asked.

"I'm not. It doesn't matter anymore. He already has a girlfriend who is very good for him."

"But of course it matters, Hermione." Luna said emphatically, ignoring Hermione's compliment. "You and Harry have both been very silly about this, and I think it's high time you had a proper conversation about it."

"But he's already going out with you!" Hermione said. "What would be the point? It's too late to think about all the _'what-might-have-beens_."

"Oh, you're being silly again. Harry's really only known me for a couple of days, and he's known you for five years." Luna said.

Hermione didn't reply at first. "But-" she started to say before Luna interrupted.

"No 'buts' Hermione. I do want Harry, but not this way. You probably know the saying; _'If you love something, set it free…'_" Luna began, and waited for Hermione to respond.

"If it comes back, it's yours…" Hermione continued.

"If it doesn't, it never was." Luna concluded sadly.

"But, Luna-" Hermione started.

"No, Hermione! No more buts!" Luna said angrily. "You two _have_ to sort this, out one way or another."

Luna's momentary anger faded, and she tried to explain to the other girl why it was important that she and Harry talked. "Please, Hermione. I couldn't cope with Harry growing to resent me because he worked out some time later that he should have been with you instead. I just… I just couldn't bear that. It… it would… _Oh, Merlin, this is so hard!_" Luna said, bursting into her own sobs as she clutched Hermione tightly.

Hermione gripped her back just as tightly, and sobbed along with her, her emotions completely overwhelmed.

She wished she had just a fraction of Luna's courage. Yes, she'd tried to be happy for Harry and Luna, since he was obviously happy being with her. But that was far easier to do when you assumed that you didn't factor into the equation anyway. Luna was braver than Godric Gryffindor himself though; she already had Harry, yet she was deliberately risking her own happiness to make sure that Harry wasn't making a mistake.

She wondered if she would have been able to try and push Luna and Harry together if their positions had been reversed. She honestly didn't know, but she wanted to believe that she would. In any case, Luna had proven herself beyond any doubt that she was worthy of him.

That was all Hermione had really hoped for; that he wouldn't be hurt again by another unworthy girl. That he'd find someone that would care for him as she would have wanted to. Now Luna was suggesting that Harry could have been hers ages ago; and perhaps still could be, even now. All she had to do was break Luna's heart, and the girl was handing it to her – forcing her in fact to take it into her hands. What a perfectly impossible situation!

Their sobbing only subsided when, emotionally exhausted, they fell asleep still holding each other.

~o~

A very unhappy Albus Dumbledore strode through Hogwarts after his chance meeting with Severus Snape. What his potions professor had told him about Emmeline had shocked him to the core. And then there was also Minerva.

As he pondered the ramifications of what had happened at Spinner's End, he wondered if things could get any worse. As he entered his office he quickly realised that they indeed could.

"Dumbledore, shut that bloody thing off now!" Phineas immediately ordered from his portrait.

Dumbledore stood stunned as his ward monitor loudly announced that the blood wards were crashing at Privet Drive. _'No! They shouldn't be falling now, I still have at least two or three weeks to get Harry back. What could have happened?'_

"Dumbledore! Look what it's doing to your phoenix! Shut that bloody thing up, right now!" Phineas shouted.

_Fawkes?_ Dumbledore's gaze went from the wailing monitor, to his companion's perch, and was horrified at what he saw. Waving his hand in the direction of his monitor, which finally silenced, he rushed over to Fawkes. The phoenix was lying awkwardly on the floor under his perch.

_Fawkes, what happened?_ he thought, but could get no response. He caressed the bird's head and long neck, and then lifted him into his arms.

"What happened, Phineas?" He asked.

"That bloody device of yours happened! Something about it upset him a lot, and eventually he tried to take off from his perch and flame away. But as you can see it didn't work. What the hell was it making that racket for anyway?"

Phineas was extremely angry with the old wizard. Fawkes spent a lot of his time in the office, and while he never replied to Phineas, the phoenix did seem to listen to his rants about Dumbledore over the years. He considered Fawkes a friend, even if Dumbledore didn't have time for him lately.

"The wards at Privet Drive are failing, or have failed by now – I must go!" Dumbledore said, standing up and placing Fawkes on his chair. It was the most comfortable place in his office.

"Are you mad? What you _must_ do now is save your phoenix!" Phineas yelled furiously.

"There are many lives at stake, Phineas. I must hope that Fawkes will be able to recover now that the alarm is off, or at least hold on until I can come back and see to him."

Dumbledore moved quickly to the floo, and threw in some floo powder. As Phineas shouted observations about his probable ancestry, he called out his destination, _"The Cattery,"_ and disappeared from his office.

Phineas turned from his cursing of the headmaster and looked down at the motionless phoenix. He called out words of encouragement to him, which was all he could do as a portrait, and exhorted him to hold on. _'Dumbledore should be here doing this, not abandoning his phoenix when he needed him.'_ Thought the magical echo of the former Phineas Nigellus Black.

Sometime later, Fawkes gave a shudder and then burst into flame. But there was no ash or baby phoenix left on the headmaster's chair. Fawkes was gone.

~o~

After apparating from Arabella Figg's house, Albus immediately inspected the wards at the Dursleys' house. They had all but failed! As they were, they'd be lucky to keep out a determined Kneazle, and left alone they'd be permanently gone in about a day; and even that was being optimistic.

Albus drew his wand and cast a _notice-me-not_ ward on the house. It was next to useless as a protection, but it was all he could cast without completely destroying what was left of the now fragile blood wards. Possibly Bill Weasley might know something obscure that could be tied in to support them, but that was a thought for later.

After knocking on the door, and eventually letting himself in with the unlocking charm, he quickly discovered the Dursleys had left. The signs of their hurried packing were all too evident.

This was a disaster! Without the Dursleys here; or rather, without Petunia Dursley nee Evans here, the wards would be lucky to last a couple of hours. _Where would the Dursleys have gone? To family perhaps?_

Albus recalled that Mr Dursley had a sister, and recalled an unfortunate incident that occurred during the summer before Harry's third year. Taking advantage of his prodigious memory, he recalled that Marge Dursley was unmarried, and then remembered her address. With that, he disapparated on the spot.

He appeared with a pop outside a fairly tidy looking house. Striding to the door, he grasped the knocker and rapped loudly.

A stocky woman opened the door. Albus could see a small bulldog trying to get past one of her ever-moving legs, which was preventing the animal from escaping out the door. She frowned at his appearance, but Albus didn't let that concern him.

"Ah, good lady, my name is Albus Dumbledore. I wonder if your brother and his family are here."

She turned her head over her shoulder and let out a yell. "Vernon! There's some strange man at the door for you."

She'd barely finished yelling for him when Albus saw Vernon Dursley's head appear from a nearby room. The head turned purple when it saw him.

"Shut the door, Marge! It's one of those _freaks_!"

The woman didn't even bother to say any sort of farewell as she turned back to face Albus, she simply slammed the door in his face.

Albus stood staring at the door for a moment while he pondered the rudeness he'd been shown. He firmly believed that in some circumstances, admittedly very few in his opinion, the application of force was quite justified. This appeared to be one of them, especially due to the time pressures involved.

He cast a _notice-me-not_ ward, his second in the last few minutes, and then a Muggle repelling ward to help deter any interruptions. He had decided that a noisy demonstration of power might prevent the need for any other magic use, and help encourage the Dursleys to provide what he needed from them.

After casting a revealing spell to ensure nobody was standing behind the door, he cast the _Bombarda_ charm on it and blew it off its hinges to fly into the opposite wall where it broke apart on impact.

"_What the bloody hell was_-" Vernon shouted after hearing the banging and crashing. However as his head once again poked from the room he was in and he saw the remnants of the door and the now imposing looking old wizard standing in the entryway, he wisely stopped yelling and he backed his way into the living room he'd stomped from.

"Shall we assume that you have invited me inside?" he asked the four Dursleys after he had walked the few steps to the living room doorway. There was no reply from any of them.

"Ah, well," Albus began, and then turned to Petunia. "Mrs Dursley, might I ask why you and your family are not at Privet Drive?"

"Because it's not safe there, that's why. The boy told us that the bridge was probably blown up by that evil wizard, and that our home wasn't safe for us anymore. He said that _you_ would probably find us somewhere safe to go!"

Albus stared confused, and wondered briefly what bridge she was talking about, before realising that she'd been talking about meeting Harry. "You saw Harry today? At Privet Drive?"

Albus cursed his ill fortune. If he'd been in his office instead of chasing all over Britain trying to find him, the ward monitor would have alerted him to Harry's return to Privet Drive.

"Are you calling my wife a liar?" Vernon asked, angrily. His reflexive hatred of all things magical had briefly overpowered his self-preservation instincts.

"Not at all," Dumbledore replied politely to Vernon. "I have been looking for Harry all day, and I was merely surprised."

He turned his attention from Vernon to Petunia. "I did not mean to suggest anything by my words. In any case, I must ask that you return with me to Privet Drive for a day at least. If I cannot find Harry in that time, then I shall return you here until I can find somewhere safer for you all to live."

"It's not safe there. We won't go!" Petunia stated firmly.

"Please, Mrs Dursley, it is very important that those wards are maintained. It may be that the safety they represent will be of vital importance to Harry in the future. If we cannot preserve them, they will be lost forever, and your sister may well have died in vain." Albus said, trying to appeal to her sense of family.

"My sister is dead, and despite what you may think, I doubt she would want me or my family dead as well. I'm staying here. The boy has no intention of returning anyway, so there is no point in us going back."

"Is there nothing I can say or do to convince you to return?" Albus asked.

"No." Petunia said shortly, and was echoed by her husband a moment later.

"Very well," Albus said tiredly. It would have been better if they had been cooperative.

In a few short seconds, he had bound all of the Dursleys, and even stunned the bulldog that had charged towards him. He apparated each of the Dursleys in turn back to Privet Drive, and then returned with their luggage, and finally their car.

Returning to Marge's house for the last time, he repaired her front door, and then obliviated her memories of the last few hours so that she would have no memory of hearing from Vernon and his family. He then removed the wards he had placed around her house, Rennervated the bulldog and returned to Privet Drive.

Raising his wand, he cast _Legilimens_ on Petunia to find out what had happened that day. He was very relieved to find a memory of Minerva appearing in the Dursleys' lounge room, unconscious, and Petunia providing her with some basic care, but care nonetheless.

The next memories were very confusing, until he realised that they had been modified with some very specific obliviation so that he couldn't see or hear from some people.

He did get to hear a very disturbing news broadcast, and was alarmed at what it meant. Tom had given up waiting and was starting his campaign of mayhem and terror. That he hadn't informed Severus of the attack on the bridge was another concern.

He heard Harry tell her to leave, as well as the reason he thought they should. Then there was some general talk until he heard Alastor's voice talking about obliviating the Dursleys.

The next thing he knew he was listening to an implanted memory from Alastor Moody.

_"Alright, Albus, here's the deal. We're going to take care of Potter for you, and give him some of the training that _you _should have been giving him since he first showed up at Hogwarts five years ago. We're going to have a bloody long conversation about the reason why you didn't do so some time, you can count on that._

_"Now I don't know exactly what happened to Minerva, but she was stunned while visiting Snape. I know _you _trust him, but you already know what I think; once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater! Minerva's fine by the way, or at least she will be, and we will _both _be coming to see you on Friday. I'll be her bonder for the unbreakable vow she expects you to take, but we both know you won't do it, don't we? Feel free to make a bloody liar out of me if you like, I don't need the galleons._

_"Now finally, a word to the wise; you'd best leave the Muggles where you found them, or somewhere safer. For some reason Potter seems to think they should be saved, but I could care less. On the other hand, if Voldemort finds them, he could use them as bait to trap the boy._

_"Now I know you, Albus, you've either got the Muggles back at Privet Drive already, or you're about to take them there. Forget it. The blood wards are good, but not so bloody good that you have to turn everything on its ear to try and save them. Besides, now that Voldemort has Potter's blood in him, do you really think they're as unbreakable as they used to be?_

_"Why don't you do something useful instead; like filling up that pensieve of yours that Minerva tells me you're giving Harry. I'll see you Friday. _Do not _try to find us."_

Albus ended his legilimency and sank into the nearby armchair. _What to do now?_

~o~

It was a weary Dumbledore that returned to his office some time later. As he stepped through the floo his eyes immediately sought his chair and he was surprised to find it empty.

"Fawkes?" he called out, looking around, and then under his desk.

"You're too late, Dumbledore," Phineas said, scathingly. "Fawkes burned up and disappeared. No ash. No bird. Nothing! I do so hope your _mission_ was worth the loss of your phoenix."

"No, Phineas," Albus said sorrowfully. "I'm very much afraid that it wasn't anywhere close to being worth it."

~o~

Harry sat on his bed, his back against the headboard, thinking. He'd been sitting here since Luna left almost an hour ago, and he was no closer to working anything out than he was when she'd left.

Tired of getting nowhere on that problem and realising there was no way he would be able to sleep; he decided he might as well start working on the assignment from Minerva.

Seating himself at the desk, he thought about the approach he wanted to take, and started writing. It was surprisingly easy, since there were no textbooks that he needed to reference, not any instructions on how long it had to be, or even what needed to be covered in the assignment.

He was free to write whatever he chose to write about, and as the topic was really about Hedwig, he would make sure it was worth an 'Outstanding'. She deserved nothing less. Besides, he'd had plenty of time to think about this lately.

He'd been working steadily for an hour when he saw a flash of fire in the corner of his eye. He looked over and saw a juvenile phoenix slightly trembling in the middle of his bed.

"Fawkes?" Harry asked, moving over to the bed, and leaned in close to what he believed was the headmaster's phoenix.

He saw that the phoenix seemed to be shivering in the chill night air, and lacking any other inspiration; he picked the young phoenix up and tucked him inside his shirt against his chest. Since he was wearing one of Dudley's old castoffs at the time, there was plenty of room for them to share his body heat.

Quickly deciding on a plan to warm up the phoenix, he cast a _Lumos_ and quietly left his room. With his passenger still tucked inside his shirt, he went outside and started searching for what he needed. Pocketing a number of smaller rocks and awkwardly carrying a couple of larger ones, he managed to make it back into his room with them without causing a disturbance.

He transfigured the larger ones into a large, but very rough flattish stone bowl and a stone stand to support the bowl and keep it off the floor. He placed the smaller rocks and stones into it around the edges and repeatedly cast small _Incendio_ charms at them until they gave off a good heat.

With his makeshift phoenix nest ready, he looked down to see Fawkes' head poking out though his shirt and looking over at his handiwork. "So what do you think, Fawkes? Is this okay for you?

Fawkes gave a soft trill, which Harry took as agreement, and then helped Fawkes out of his shirt and into the middle of his new, and temporary, stone nest. The bird fluffed his feathers for a bit, and then relaxed and settled into his bed.

_'I wish I knew what you were doing here Fawkes.'_ Harry thought to himself.

After checking that the phoenix seemed comfortable, Harry returned to his post owl assignment. He was far too distracted now to write anything else, but he could at least read over what he'd written so far.

Sleep was going to be impossible tonight.

~o~


	16. Chapter 16: Västerlånggatan

**Thoughts of Pudding by Brian64.**

**Chapter 16: Västerlånggatan.**

_Tuesday 25th June, 1996._

At around three-thirty in the morning, Harry was feeling both very tired and very uncomfortable. He looked over at Fawkes, again, and then got up from the desk, again, to go and check that the rocks were still giving off heat.

He cast the incendio charm a few more times, again, and as he backed up and sat on the edge of his bed, he rubbed his eyes and failed to stifle a yawn. Fawkes looked at him and gave a soft reassuring trill.

"Well, if you're sure you're okay for a bit, I might just have a quick kip. You'll wake me if you need anything, right?" Harry asked, as he covered his mouth from another yawn.

Fawkes let out another trill.

"Yeah… well, I'm just going to assume that means okay. I just need a little while, Fawkes…"

Harry just lay back on his bed, and was out like a light.

It was barely twenty minutes later that he started to fidget as the nightmares began again. He'd had them almost every night since the Ministry; every night except the previous one at the Lovegoods'.

Fawkes looked over at Harry on the bed, and then stood up and shook out his wings. He jumped up off the stone nest Harry had made for him, and with a couple of beats of his wings, he made it to the end of Harry's bed.

He walked awkwardly up alongside Harry's body and curled up next to him before making a soft crooning warble that was almost a purr. Harry immediately relaxed and fell into a dreamless sleep.

~o~

Hermione awoke slowly the next morning, and stretched as she opened her bleary eyes. It took her a moment to remember where she was, and when she did, she also remembered the previous night.

Since she was alone in her bed, she rolled over and looked at Luna's bed only to find the girl dressed and sitting on it, watching her as she woke up. She found it disconcerting to be observed so closely like that.

"Good morning, Hermione." Luna said softly.

"Good morning, Luna." she replied, a little confused. Luna had sounded very subdued for some reason and Hermione wondered why.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, becoming more alert at the thought of a problem.

"I wanted to apologise to you, Hermione. I really don't know what I was thinking last night, but I suspect it was probably the wrackspurts that Harry dislodged yester–" Luna paused and looked down, as though realising that Hermione wouldn't want to hear what she thought about wrackspurts.

"Well, anyway, Hermione, I just wanted to tell you that it wasn't right of me to tell you to talk to Harry about… that… and of course you don't have to do anything that you don't want to do." Luna finished.

Hermione was becoming concerned. The girl seemed almost terrified about something.

"Luna, what's wrong?" Hermione asked, sliding her legs out of the bed and sitting up on the edge as Luna was doing.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I shouldn't have said those things last night. You've been nothing but a wonderful friend to me, and I shouldn't have troubled you with my problems."

"No, really, Luna, what is it that you are so worried about?" Hermione was getting more anxious the more Luna avoided the problem.

Luna had tears in her eyes now. "I- I can't lose both of you," she whispered.

Hermione rushed over and wrapped the girl in a hug. "Shush, Luna, you won't lose _either_ of us!" she reassured the younger girl.

"But I asked Harry the same questions that I asked you last night before coming to bed. I shouldn't have interfered. He _hates_ it when people do that, and when he realises what I did, he'll… he'll… ha-hate me too."

"He won't hate you Luna, he doesn't have it in him. At worst, he'll be cross with you." Hermione told her.

"He'll never forgive me." Luna insisted in a whisper.

"Oh that's rubbish!" Hermione said firmly. "He's forgiven me before and he forgives Ron all the time because he's his friend. He would definitely forgive you as well if you needed to be forgiven. Which I rather doubt, by the way… Oh, that didn't sound right did it? I mean, I doubt that Harry would think you did anything that would need forgiving."

Hermione pulled back and looked at the younger girl who looked back up at her. When she saw Hermione frown, Luna dropped her eyes to her lap at the silent rebuke.

Hermione reached for Luna's face and lifted her head back up. "No, Luna, I was just thinking that this isn't like you at all. You're always so calm about things, and in control of yourself."

Luna blushed. "Well, I've never had a boyfriend before, and I'm not used to the feelings I have about that. They are very strong. It doesn't help that my cycle is starting, though at least I am used to that."

Hermione couldn't help herself and laughed. "Now that's more like the Luna I know."

Luna smiled shyly back at her, and then her smile dropped. "I do hope you can forgive me some day, Hermione. I am sorry for making you cry last night, and for–"

"I'll forgive you right now on one condition." Hermione said, interrupting her.

"Anything," Luna replied, hopefully.

"I want you to stop trying to apologise to me! Especially when it was just because you wanted to make sure Harry was happy. Honestly, how could you possibly believe that I would want you to apologise for that?"

Luna nodded, and then leaned forward to wrap Hermione up in a hug. "Thank you," she whispered.

After a moment, they separated again, and Hermione started talking.

"Now, I've given this a little thought, and this is what we're… or rather, I'm going to do. If Harry starts up a conversation about, well, _you-know-what_, I'm going to tell him that I love him like he's my very favourite brother. That way we'll all still be able to be the best of friends. It's true enough anyway," she finished.

Luna stared at her. Hermione tried to maintain eye contact, but kept getting the urge to look away.

"It really is the best solution." Hermione said into the silence.

"Hermione," Luna began softly, "I don't think you've really thought this through very well. I had almost the same conversation with Harry last night, when he told me he didn't try to pursue you himself because he thought Ron wanted you. Do you want to know what I said to him?" she asked.

Hermione bit her bottom lip, knowing that she didn't really want to know, and also that she couldn't help but want to hear it anyway. She nodded to Luna.

"I told Harry that it was very wrong of him, and that what he was really saying was that he didn't think Ron had a chance of competing with him for your affection." Luna looked steadily at Hermione.

"If I am to have any kind of relationship with Harry, it must be based on friendship and love and trust and honesty. I do want him to choose me, very much so, but I want him to make that choice, not anyone else. Not even you."

Hermione nodded, feeling very chastened. "I'm sorry, Luna. I guess... you're right. I didn't really think that through very well, did I?"

Hermione thought for a moment and then chuckled. "I suppose that we've both caught his 'being noble' thing, haven't we? Damn the boy."

They both laughed and started to relax a little.

"So what are we going to do then, Luna?" Hermione asked, breaking the silence that had begun to form.

"Well, I do think the decision should be Harry's," Luna said, "and I think that he should have the chance to make that decision knowing all of the facts, don't you?"

Hermione blushed, and she hesitated before nodding slightly.

"I also think that we should agree not to do anything sneaky or underhanded…" Luna said, pausing as Hermione gave her a hurt look at the implication that she would do something like that.

"… like trying to get him to choose the other girl," she finished, smiling mischievously at Hermione.

"Oh, you! All right, we both play fair, but we both have to swear that whatever decision Harry makes, we accept it, and we don't let it harm our own friendship. Agreed?"

Luna stared at her as though Hermione had just told her she'd won the grand prize in the Daily Prophet's 'Golden Galleons' Draw.

"Luna?"

She was suddenly hit by a blonde haired missile. "I swear, Hermione! Thank you so much!"

Hermione hugged her back. "You're welcome, Luna."

They pulled apart and Luna looked at her expectantly. Hermione smiled. "Yes, Luna, I swear too."

Luna beamed at her. "Ok, so what do we do now?" she asked.

"I have absolutely no idea!" Hermione replied, causing both of them to laugh again.

~o~

What they eventually decided to do was just follow their normal daily routine. Hermione went to have a shower and get dressed, while Luna sat with her father and had some cereal.

"So, pumpkin, how are things going with you and your friends?" he asked.

"Oh, they're going absolutely splendid, Daddy. Harry's my boyfriend now, although he might be Hermione's boyfriend instead soon, as we've been trying to work out a way for her and Harry to talk about their feelings for each other. I am hoping to keep him for myself though, as he's a very nice boyfriend, but no matter which of us he chooses, Hermione and I have sworn to be best friends anyway. Could you pass me the tea, please?" Luna replied.

"Err…" Xenophilius replied intelligently. He had been expecting something like this… well, the bit about having a boyfriend anyway – and maybe the tea. The rest he hadn't been expecting at all. Even with years spent interpreting his amazing daughter, he was having trouble working this out.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, sweetie?" he replied, looking up

She nodded towards the teapot, and he dutifully poured out a cup for her.

"You'll let me know if I can do anything for you, won't you, sweetheart?" Xenophilius said eventually.

"Of course I will, Daddy," she replied.

"I think I like those two friends of yours. From what I've seen and heard so far, they seem like very nice people," he ventured.

Luna smiled widely "Yes, they are, Daddy. I love them. I wish Hermione was my sister."

Xenophilius smiled at her. He wasn't too concerned. She'd loved the Plimpies at one time too, and now she loved Plimpy soup. He shook his head at the sudden thought of her making Hermione soup. No, Luna wouldn't do that, but Fudge would probably start making Goblin soup if he got tired of pies.

~o~

After showering and changing, Hermione saw that Harry's door was still closed, and so she decided to visit with her parents. After greeting the Lovegoods, she told them where she was going, and wasn't too surprised when Luna asked to join her.

They walked in to find the other six members of the group sitting at the table finishing their breakfasts. With all the seats taken, the girls were about to go back to the other tent to bring two more chairs over when Minerva conjured two up for them.

"I trust you remember the incantation, Miss Granger?" Minerva said, hiding a smile.

Hermione blushed. "I forgot that our wands had been cleared of the trace," she said.

"Don't worry about it, but for future reference, Sweden doesn't have any restrictions on underage magic. As long as you maintain the statute of secrecy, you can perform magic here perfectly legally." Minerva said.

The others continued the discussion they'd been having before, which was evidently some sort of recap over Voldemort's tactics during his first war.

Emma leaned over to her daughter. "Is Harry not up yet?" she asked quietly.

Hermione shook her head. "Not yet. It looks like he's having a lie-in this morning."

"Good." Emma replied cryptically. "Can we go for a walk? Your dad and I need to talk to you about something."

She looked over at Luna. "You can come too if you like, Luna. I think you ought to be involved as well."

The four of them excused themselves and walked out of the tent, Hermione following alongside her father in silence as they led the way and followed the trail to the right once they reached the lake. When they stopped about ten minutes later, she wasn't at all surprised to see that Luna had claimed her mother's hand.

"How about making us some chairs or something so that we can have a seat while we chat?" Emma asked her daughter.

Hermione conjured a couple of sofas facing each other, and took a seat. Luna joined her while her parents took the other.

"Hermione, can you tell us a little bit about Harry? How does he seem at the moment?" Dan asked.

Hermione was a little confused at the question, but answered anyway. "He seems a bit more emotional than he usually is; more 'on edge' is how I would describe it. After the Ministry fiasco he had just about shut down, if you know what I mean, but he's been better the last couple of days. He does seem to go from being very serious to joking around the way he used to fairly quickly, though. Why?"

Dan and Emma looked at each other as though this had confirmed something for them.

"Honey, it sounds as though your friend is suffering from a great deal of stress. He's had a horrible year from what you've written us, and at the end of it, his friends are hurt and his Godfather is killed. Not to mention he's also told that he's in a _'kill-or-be-killed'_ prophecy with the most evil wizard there is. So it's hardly surprising that he's having trouble coping with it." Emma said.

Hermione became more upset as her mother spoke. It was obvious when she thought about it like that. It really had been a very long year for Harry after all, and his problems hadn't just started with the night at the Ministry.

Then again, the previous year wasn't a picnic for him either. What with the Tri-Wizard Tournament and watching Cedric die in front of him, and everything else.

How could she have overlooked all this? Why hadn't she fought to have Harry spend the summer after the tournament away from the Dursleys?

Instead, she'd let the headmaster talk her into not writing to him, just when he'd have needed his friends the most. It was little wonder that he was so angry when the Order finally brought him to Grimmauld Place.

"Hermione? What is it?" Emma asked, as she watched the tears falling down her daughter's face.

Hermione looked at her, wondering how to tell her parents what she'd been thinking.

"There's more isn't there? Things you haven't put in your letters?" she guessed, and when Hermione nodded, Emma shook her head in exasperation. That poor boy had more than enough to be getting on with from what she already knew.

Her mother's expression worried Hermione even more, and she unconsciously echoed her mother's earlier words. "Mum? What is it?" she asked, feeling her worry starting to escalate towards panic.

"Hmm?" Emma asked, looking up from whatever she'd been staring at while thinking, and saw her daughter's expression. She couldn't help but notice that Luna didn't look as calm as she usually did either. The girl seemed to have a death grip on Hermione's hand.

"Oh, it's nothing more to worry about, love. I was just thinking what to do about Harry."

"What _can_ we do to help him?" Hermione asked, almost immediately.

"You have to understand that we aren't experts in this, Hermione. It's just that we've been reading up a bit about what can happen to people after going through traumatic situations like what happened at the ministry. We couldn't help noticing that Harry matches up with some of what we read." Emma said.

"Originally, we were worried that you might end up suffering from it, although you seem to be fine. Perhaps magical people are a bit hardier than, err, Muggles." Dan said, joining in. "I suppose being only a spell or a potion away from a cure for most things does tend to remove some of the fear, doesn't it?" he mused aloud, his question mostly rhetorical.

Hermione nodded anyway. That seemed to make sense to her as well.

Dan took up the discussion from Emma to show that they were both involved. "Based on your reaction to the news that Harry has to be the one to fight this Voldemort, your mother and I think that this is probably the main cause of his stress. He probably also has some survivor's guilt because his Godfather died, and on top of that I expect he's probably got some guilt over leading you all to the Ministry in the first place as well. Especially since you all got hurt."

Hermione bristled at the implied blame. "It wasn't his fault! He didn't even want us to go with him!"

"I didn't say it was his fault, hon. I'm just saying that if he was leading the mission, then he probably feels responsible for the outcome." Dan said, soothingly.

Hermione nodded, while feeling quite embarrassed by her snap defence of Harry. She should have understood the distinction without having to have it explained. She really needed to pull herself together. "So what can we do for him?" she asked anxiously.

"Well, just be there for him, mainly. He'll need his friends, and with his mood swings he'll probably have a hard time keeping them." Emma said, before deciding that wouldn't be a problem for these two girls, judging by their expressions.

"Try and get him to talk through what is bothering him, if you can. That will help take some of the load off his shoulders." Dan said. "I think the training is a good idea, as it will help him feel like he's doing something constructive, but he needs time to relax."

Dan turned his head to face Luna. "You were spot-on about that, Luna. We'll help argue with the others, and Harry as well if need be to make sure he has time off. Is there anything he particularly likes to do?"

Hermione thought of something and then gasped.

"What is it?" her mother asked.

"Well, it just occurred to me that there is something Harry liked to do more than just about anything, but I don't know if he's even interested in it now." Hermione said, biting her lip.

"Harry loves to fly." Luna volunteered.

"But he doesn't want to do that anymore? Emma asked.

"Well ever since the toad– I mean, ever since Madam Umbridge threw him off the Quidditch team, he hasn't flown his broom at all. She confiscated it and chained it up." Hermione replied.

"Has he asked about it since she's been gone? Does he even know where his broom is?" Her father asked, sounding concerned.

"I don't know. I'll have to ask Professor McGonagall," she replied sadly, and more than a little annoyed with herself for not even noticing.

"Well, here's an idea to be getting on with," Emma said. "How about we go shopping this afternoon in Stockholm? We can visit that goblin bank of yours and find out whether the wizarding shops here take galleons or Krona."

Emma thought of something else and looked at Luna. "We'll also need to get some currency converted ourselves, as we can't keep letting your father pay for everything, Luna."

Luna shrugged, as if it didn't matter either way.

"So, anything else you girls want to talk about before we head back?" Emma asked.

The girls looked at each other and then turned back and shook their heads.

Emma raised an eyebrow and gave both of them a mother's look for a few seconds, before smiling. "Alright, we'll leave it at that then. You know where to find us when you're ready. Let's go back and see if Harry is awake yet."

They all stood up, and Hermione vanished the sofas. Emma walked over to Hermione and gave her a hug. "Those sofas were incredible, love. I can't wait to see some more of your magic now that you can use it around us."

Her father echoed his wife's praise, and Hermione thanked them both. They talked a little about spells as they walked back in the same pairs as they'd walked out, though this time Hermione had taken her dad's hand.

~o~

When the soft knocking failed to provoke a response, Hermione slowly opened Harry's bedroom door and stepped inside his room, followed by Luna.

Hermione's eyes were immediately glued to the phoenix that was staring directly at her. After several long seconds, the phoenix turned his attention to Luna, and his head bobbed slightly as he stared at her.

Meanwhile, Hermione was now free to take in the rest of the bedroom. She could see Harry was sleeping on his side in the clothes he'd been wearing the night before. He was almost curled around the phoenix and had an arm across its body protectively. His face looked the most peaceful she'd seen it since the Ministry. Then again, she didn't have many opportunities to observe him sleeping.

She stepped to the side of the bed and reached a hand towards Harry. The phoenix's head immediately whipped around from his observation of Luna and fixed her with a stare. Hermione paused and then withdrew her hand slowly. She didn't know whether it was just observation or a warning not to touch him, but she didn't need to push the issue.

"Harry. Ha-a-a-arry. It's time to wake up. Come on, Harry…"

She paused and thought for a moment. Perhaps he needed a little more motivation to wake up. "Malfoy, get away from Luna!" she said, a mischievous smile working its way onto her face.

There was an annoyed sound from the phoenix as he was jostled when Harry all but exploded out of the bed. His wand was in his hand, but Hermione hadn't seen him draw it.

Harry squinted as he looked around, confused at finding everything normal. He wrote off the comment he thought he'd heard as nothing more than part of a bad dream.

He looked at the bushy head next to him, and greeted her with a yawn. "Morning, Hermione. I don't suppose you've seen my glasses, have you? Oh wait; Accio glasses."

His glasses came hurtling towards him from under his pillow, and as he was facing the other way when he cast the spell, by rights they should have hit him in the back of the head. Fortunately, Fawkes had let out a warning trill as the pillow moved, and Harry spun around and was able to snatch the glasses in mid-air once they came within range.

"Thanks Fawkes" he said, placing the glasses on his head. "Oh, good morning, Luna" he said, smiling as he looked around the room and finally noticed that his girlfriend was in the doorway.

He walked over to her and gave her a hug, but when he leaned down to kiss her lips, she turned her head to the side so he could kiss her cheek instead. She turned back to him after he pulled away; his face still showing the disappointment he'd failed to hide at her rejection.

She smiled at him and kissed his cheek. "Brush your teeth first, and then you can have a proper kiss," she told him, and he smiled at her in relief.

"Aren't you going to introduce us to your new friend, Harry?" Luna asked.

"Of course. Ok, Fawkes, this is Luna Lovegood, and this is Hermione Granger. Ladies, this is Fawkes… I think. Well, I'm pretty sure this is the headmaster's phoenix, as I don't know of any others. He's not quite fully grown yet, and Fawkes reverted back to a chick when he took a killing curse for the headmaster at the Ministry."

Harry reached over and stroked the phoenix while he talked, and Fawkes appeared to appreciate the attention. "You're looking a lot better than you were last night, Fawkes. Maybe the heat helped perk you up a bit, hmm?"

He gestured for the girls to sit on the bed so they were closer to Fawkes, and then showed them where the phoenix liked to be scratched.

"He flamed in last night while I was working on my assignment. He was shivering and kinda shrunk in on himself I guess, and I figured since he was a phoenix, he probably preferred things to be hot. So I made him a kind of stone nest with some hot rocks to warm him up."

He saw Hermione look over at his transfiguration, and then get up to inspect it.

"It's not very good, I know. I should have taken a little longer with the visualisation, but Fawkes was–"

"Oh, shush, Harry. It looks perfectly functional and I expect Fawkes would agree." Hermione said, and the phoenix let out a happy trill to everyone's surprise.

"There, you see, Fawkes _was_ happy with it. When did you make it?" she asked.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. A couple of hours after Luna left I guess."

"Well, that would have made his arrival about 10 o'clock then. Not bad Harry, for a rushed transfiguration, it has kept its shape for about 12 hours so far." Hermione said.

"Well, to be honest I think Fawkes might have had something to do with that, because now that I think about it, this doesn't look anything like as rough as it did last night."

Hermione just nodded her head. Harry hated getting credit for something he didn't think he'd done, and there was no point arguing with him about it.

"So anyway, what brings you two in here waking me up – did you miss me or something?" he asked playfully.

Luna nodded. "Yes, we did, but we also want you to hurry up and get ready because Emma wants to do something called 'retail therapy' while we are out. Make sure you put on your new clothes please, Harry, we haven't seen you in them yet."

Harry nodded. "Alright, I won't be long."

He rummaged around in his trunk for some toiletries, then grabbed the clothes he intended to wear, and headed for the bathroom.

Fawkes let out a trill before he was out the door, and Harry turned back to him.

"Oh, don't be such a baby, Fawkes. The girls won't hurt you unless they try hugging you to death. Personally, that's how I'd want to go."

He smirked at their grins, and left for his shower.

As soon as he left, Hermione headed straight for his desk, and the assignment he'd been working on. She thought she'd done very well not to have pounced on it the second he'd mentioned it.

_Magical Post Owls; My Experiences, Observations and Theories._

_By Harry James Potter._

_It is my great honour and pleasure to be the companion of a beautiful and highly intelligent Magical Post Owl, whom I named Hedwig with her agreement. Since much of what I will be writing about is based on my experiences with her, I will begin by introducing her to you._

_From my research in a library soon after I first obtained her, I learned that a Muggle Professor (called a scientist) would classify Hedwig as a 'Bubo scandiacus', or possibly even a 'Nyctea scandiaca', if they hadn't kept up to date with new discoveries._

_You or I would recognise her as a Snowy Owl. She is white with black speckles, and is approximately 26 inches long. She is diurnal rather than nocturnal, and therefore she is active during the daytime._

_I haven't seen all of the things she catches to eat, but whenever I've been really hungry, Hedwig always brings me food; usually mice, sometimes a small rabbit, but she even brought me a fish once._

_Hedwig is mostly silent, and does not make the traditional 'hoot' usually expected of owls. Instead she makes sounds such as a guttural "krufff-guh-guh-guk" when she is attacking her prey, and "hooo-uh, hooo-uh, hooo-uh, wuh-wuh-wuh" when she is excited. I have also heard her make dog-like barks, rattling cackles, shrieks, hisses, and the clicks from her bill-snapping._

_She is very emotive, and communicates her emotions to me through her body language and light nibbling of my fingers when she's happy with me._

_My relationship with Hedwig began when a friend bought her for me for my eleventh birthday. Hedwig and I spent a very close month together before I began my schooling at Hogwarts. During that time, and afterwards, I treated her as my friend; talking constantly to her and petting her. She–_

"Hermione?"

Hermione looked around, startled. She'd forgotten all about Luna being in the room with her.

"I'm sorry Luna, it's just… " Hermione couldn't work out how to describe what she was thinking, so she took the long parchment with her to Harry's bed and sat down next to Luna, so they could read it together.

They read about his theory that post owls probably used a form of legilimency in order to learn where to deliver their mail, since they obviously couldn't read. The thought of hatchling owls learning their ABCs was ludicrous. For that matter, how could they understand spoken English, when it took people years to learn the language? Harry thought it made much more sense for the owls to understand the intent of the sender by interpreting it directly from the sender's mind.

He also proposed a number of tests for his theories, including;

– Having a skilled occlumens attempt to send an owl out while occluding their thoughts.

– Having a regular person attempt to send an owl out with a blank envelope and no spoken instruction, but while thinking of a specific destination.

– Having someone handed a letter addressed by someone else, and then have that person attempt to send an owl out while having no idea who the person named on the envelope was, or any idea where the address shown is… and so on.

Hermione was amazed as Harry proposed test after test designed to help prove or disprove one of his theories.

As she finished the paper she passed it over to Luna, who was still reading, and stood up. Her mind was racing with the ideas in the paper, and she couldn't sit still. She wanted to try some of the tests if she could.

More to the point, though, was the question that had been running through her head since she started reading: How had Harry written this?

She turned around and found herself suddenly facing Harry who was standing in the doorway looking at her. He was wearing the emerald green dress shirt and black pants her mother picked out, and, in her biased opinion, he'd never looked more fanciable.

"Oh, Harry, you startled me." Hermione said, turning red. "I was just, umm, reading your paper on Post Owls. I didn't mean to… well, actually, I did want to look at it, but…"

Hermione paused, realising she was not being entirely honest and changed the topic. "Harry, when did you write this?"

"I wrote it after Luna left last night; before Fawkes arrived," he replied.

"You wrote this in only two hours?" Hermione asked, amazed.

"Well, not really. I spent the first hour thinking about… something else," he said, not looking at her.

If he had been looking, he'd have noticed the blush that appeared on her face as she guessed that he would have been thinking about her. Unless there was something else Luna had spoken to him about.

Then a thought worked its way to back to the top of her head. "Harry, are you telling me that the assignment I just read took you only one hour to write?" she asked him, surprised.

He nodded his reply, and then seeing her open her mouth to ask something, he got in first. "Hermione, you have to understand, most of that is really about Hedwig. It only took me about as long as it takes to dip a quill in ink for me to write about her. As for the rest, well, I've been thinking about that off and on since Professor McGonagall mentioned it yesterday. Don't forget we had all that time on the train and the bus from Linköping."

He shrugged. "Some of the ideas I've had for a while anyway, so really, it took me a lot longer to put that all together, and all I did last night was just write it out."

Hermione thought about what he'd said, and it seemed he was determined not to accept any praise for what he'd accomplished with his excellent paper. She tried to work out how to explain it to him when she had an epiphany.

She leaned down to where Luna was still sitting on his bed, and whispered in her ear.

Luna smiled at her and nodded, then stood up, and walked to Harry.

"Do you trust me, Harry?" she asked him seriously.

Harry nodded. "Yes. I trust you. Both of you," he said, looking from Luna to Hermione.

"Good. Then trust us when we tell you that your assignment is extraordinary work, and that although you might have been thinking of these ideas for a while, the ability to put them all together the way you have in only an hour is also quite excellent. We're both very proud of you." Luna said.

She gave him a moment to process that before she continued. "Now, let's take your assignment to Professor McGonagall, and go shopping."

She concluded by giving him a brief kiss, and then grabbing his hand to lead him out of the room.

As he started to leave the bedroom, Fawkes gave a trill and then flew to his shoulder.

Harry tried to look at the fairly large swan-like phoenix perched on his left shoulder out of the corner of his eye, and by tilting his head. Fawkes obligingly leaned forward and bent his neck; effectively looking at him upside down. Fawkes then turned his head inquisitively, which made him look even more comical to Harry, who just laughed at the bird's antics.

"All right, Fawkes, I guess I can't keep you from coming with me anyway, can I?" he said, still smiling.

With that settled, they resumed their exit, and headed for the other tent where they found everyone else.

~o~

To say that Harry made quite an entrance in his new clothes and with a phoenix on his shoulder would be something of an understatement.

All conversation in the crowded room stopped for a second, and then there were questions thrown from all of the order members, except for Tonks, who just said, "Oh, bloody hell!"

She and Moody had both drawn their wands at the sight of the phoenix, though their attention was on the doorway and who else might be entering behind the teens, rather than Fawkes or those already in the tent.

"Fawkes?" Professor McGonagall said to the phoenix directly, before turning to Harry.

"Mr Po– Harry, why is Fawkes with you? Is Professor Dumbledore here?" Minerva asked.

Everyone stopped talking in order to hear his reply.

"I have no idea where Professor Dumbledore is. Fawkes flamed in last night, and he wasn't in a particularly good shape. He was cold and trembling so I, umm, helped warm him up, and looked after him."

As everyone continued to just look at him, he felt the need to explain his actions a bit more. "I, uh, suppose I should have woken someone up, but really, I just didn't think about it. I was more worried about Fawkes," he finished, slightly embarrassed.

Moody was the first to reply. "You do realise that bird can just flame you away back to Privet Drive, or the headmaster's office, or any other bloody place that takes its fancy?"

"Yeah, I do. So what's your point?" Harry asked defensively, still peeved with the man for telling everyone about his cupboard yesterday.

"So do you really want it to be hanging onto your shoulder like that?" Moody asked gruffly.

"Like you said, he can flame wherever he wants to, with or without me. So what do you expect me to do about it? I mean, let's face it, if he wanted to take me anywhere, don't you think I'd already be gone?" Harry asked.

Since he couldn't resist having a dig at Moody, he added another question. "Since I'm still here, it seems to me he's quite happy to respect _my_ wishes rather than do whatever _he_ feels like doing, wouldn't you say?"

Moody picked up on it straight away, and called him on it. "Alright, Potter, you've made your point. Now grow up and get over it. We don't have time for snits."

"What I don't have time for is exchanging one well-meaning but opinionated person for another! If you're just going to do whatever _you_ want regardless of what _I_ want, then what makes you any different to the Headmaster?" Harry said, glaring angrily at him.

Moody glared right back at him. "I'm glad to see you'll stand up for yourself, boy. You keep that in mind the next time you see Snape or Dumbledore. But you've got a lot of work to do when it comes to picking your fights. You're way out of line taking that attitude with me! But now is not the time to discuss it." Moody growled back.

Harry was about to retort again, but Luna squeezed his hand. He took the hint and let the issue slide, for now.

An uncomfortable silence followed that no one felt like breaking.

Eventually, Hermione cleared her throat and handed Harry's assignment to Professor McGonagall. She explained what it was, and asked her to make several copies before sending the original off.

Before letting go of the scroll she looked at her professor. "In answer to the first question you'll have after reading this; No, I didn't. That is 100 per cent Harry James Potter's work. Luna and I have only just finished reading it ourselves"

After gaining Harry's permission, Minerva made half a dozen copies for Hermione with the Geminio charm, and handed them to her. She kept one for herself, and rolled up the original ready to post when they reached Stockholm.

Minerva started to read her copy while waiting for everyone else to get ready to go out.

She was still reading ten minutes after everyone that needed to get changed had returned from their bedrooms. She ignored the calls for her to come and put her finger on the Portkey, with an irritated wave that could be interpreted as either; 'just wait a bit,' or; 'leave without me,' depending on the observer's frustration level.

Finally, she finished reading, and even turned it over to make sure nothing had been added to the other side. She looked up to see everyone waiting for her impatiently, so she rolled the assignment up.

She looked over at Hermione, "Are you sure you didn't…?" she asked.

Hermione appeared to expect this and smirked as she shook her head, before nodding in Harry's direction.

"Mr– I'm sorry. Old habits die hard. Harry, I would like to talk to you about this sometime at your convenience, please. May I also send a couple of copies off to some other people while we're in Stockholm? I know Hagrid would very much like to read this."

Hermione laughed as she imagined Hagrid's comments after reading the assignment, and couldn't help but share it with the others. "Oh, I can hear him now! _'Wha? 'Arry wrote this? Oh 'e never did, did 'e? Blimey! I reckon 'e sure knows summat abou' owls then, bless 'im. An' 'e's got some good ideas ter boot!'_" Hermione said, attempting fairly successfully to mimic Hagrid's accent.

The teens all laughed of course, as did Tonks and Remus. The Grangers smiled, not really knowing Hagrid, and Professor McGonagall seemed to be trying to hide a smile of her own. Xenophilius looked around at everyone else as though trying to work out what the joke was, while Moody just huffed with impatience.

"Perhaps we could get going if we are still going to?" he said, managing to annoy mostly everyone.

Hermione pulled out the scroll that Vanir had made into a Portkey the previous day, and after unrolling it, she cast an _engorgio_ charm on the parchment to make it easier for everyone to place a finger on it.

"Everybody ready?" she asked. "Ok, 3, 2, 1, Gringotts!" Hermione said, activating the Portkey.

~o~

When the Portkey deposited Harry and the others in front of Gringotts, he wasn't sure whether he should be more surprised that he was still standing, or that the bank looked exactly like the one in Diagon Alley.

Feeling the urge to get inside quickly, he looked around at the group and nodded towards the bank. After taking Luna's hand, they all walked inside.

As Harry walked through the bronze outer doors, he couldn't help but notice the same engraving on the inner silver doors as in Diagon Alley. _'Enter, stranger, but take heed…'_ he began to read, and then looked outside again to make sure he really wasn't back in London.

Wherever they were, except for Gringotts it certainly didn't look anything like Diagon Alley. Shaking his head, he turned back and entered the same vast marble hall he remembered.

He looked over at Hermione and gestured for her to lead the way to the counter, so that she could conduct whatever business it was that she wanted the Portkey for in the first place.

"All right, come on then," she said, gesturing for Harry to follow her. He looked at Luna and shrugged, before they both followed Hermione up to a counter.

Hermione looked up at the goblin scowling down at her from his high desk. "Umm, well…. The first thing we'd like to do is to notify Gringotts of some temporary contact arrangements for one of its vault holders." Hermione said to the goblin.

"Very well, what is the vault holder's name?" the goblin asked.

"Harry James Potter," she replied.

Harry looked at Hermione with some surprise, and gave her an _'I hope you plan on explaining this to me later'_ look.

The goblin looked at her with some surprise, and then looked at Harry, his eyes flicking to his scar, and then widening slightly as he appeared to suddenly notice the phoenix on his shoulder.

"I believe Mr Harry James Potter has some outstanding business with Gringotts that we have been trying to contact him about. One minute while I confirm," the Goblin said, before pulling out a ledger and flicking through it.

Hermione nodded sadly as though she had been expecting this, and Harry wondered what it might be. Had Mrs Weasley lost his key after borrowing it to buy his school supplies or something?

The Goblin looked up. "I will have someone attend to you. Griphook!" he called.

"Oh, no way!" Harry blurted out in disbelief. He shook his head as though trying to clear it as he watched a familiar looking goblin walk up to him. It was hard to forget either his first Gringotts cart ride, or the goblin that had taken him to his vault.

"This way, please, Mr Potter." Griphook said stiffly.

"What about my friends?" Harry asked.

"They may accompany you or not as you decide." Griphook replied.

"Well in that case, they're all coming… if they want to, that is."

He looked around at the others briefly before looking back and finding that Griphook was already walking away.

They all hurried after the swiftly moving goblin, who led them to an office. "Wait here, please." he instructed the group and stepped inside.

He was back shortly afterwards. "Director Ragnok will see you now," he said, waving them through the door, which he closed once everyone had stepped inside.

The office contained a large desk with an important goblin behind it, if the size of the desk and the opulence of the office was any guide.

The goblin, Ragnok, called to Harry. "Please come and take a seat, Mr Potter."

Harry walked up to the chair in front of the desk with Luna, but since there was only one chair he didn't sit down until Luna almost pushed him into it, and then sat on his lap.

He heard a few chuckles behind him, and realised his relationship with Luna had just become public knowledge. He wondered why she insisted on remaining so close.

"Mr Potter, there are some matters we need to discuss with you. The most pressing being that we need to schedule a will reading as soon as possible. As the primary beneficiary, we will be working to your schedule."

Harry had thought he was recovering quite well from the loss of Sirius less than two weeks ago, but caught by surprise as he was, he really wasn't ready for such a… serious matter. He tried to find some humour in the pun, but it didn't work.

"Which will? The Potters' or Sirius Black's?" he heard Luna ask.

"Sirius Black's." Ragnok said, and then frowned. "Why would you ask about the Potters' will?"

"Because I don't think it has been read yet. He is the last of the Potters, but do you see a ring on his hand?"

"No, I don't. I'll look into it," he said unhappily, writing a note on a piece of parchment.

"Will eleven o'clock tomorrow morning suit you, Mr Potter?" Ragnok asked.

Luna nudged him out of his thoughts. "Eleven o'clock tomorrow for the will reading, Harry. Is that okay with you?" she asked him.

Harry looked up at her, nodded, and then went back to his brooding.

Ragnok made another note on his parchment. "Very well, I shall inform the others that need to attend. Griphook will assist you if you require any other business. I shall see you tomorrow morning." Ragnok stood up, the dismissal obvious to all but Harry, who hadn't noticed.

He did notice it when Luna slid off his lap, though, and he let her help him up.

"Come on, Harry, let's go and get some money out of your vault so we can go shopping and you can buy me something nice. I'd really like to go on a cart ride!"

She kept up a constant conversation with him as they and the others saw Griphook for various reasons. He was able to provide Harry with a replacement key to his vault, and, once he and Luna boarded a cart, he took them to vault 687.

"Griphook, how is that I entered Gringotts in Stockholm, and now I'm presumably outside exactly the same vault as if I'd come in to Gringotts from Diagon Alley?

Griphook hesitated before replying. "Gringotts has many doors, but there is only one Gringotts."

"I see," said Harry, thinking about that for a minute. "Tell me, is it possible for someone to leave by a different door than the one they entered, if they wished?"

"You wish to leave Gringotts at Diagon Alley?" Griphook guessed.

Harry nodded. "I might sometime."

"It… may be possible." Griphook replied, hesitantly. "The magic at the entrance sets your exit point. We might be able to reset your exit destination, but this isn't something that we would wish to have become common knowledge. I'm sure you can understand why."

"Oh, yes, of course." Luna said quickly, and Harry nodded as well. Ministries around the world would have no idea who was entering or exiting their countries, not to mention the loss of international Portkey tariffs.

"You will need to talk to Director Ragnok tomorrow after the reading if you wish to change your exit door." Griphook advised him, before looking again at the phoenix on Harry's shoulder. If Griphook wondered why Harry didn't simply get the phoenix to take him wherever he wanted to go, he didn't want to know badly enough to ask the question.

Once inside his vault, Harry thought that the mounds of coins were the same size as when he'd first entered the vault with Hagrid at age 11. He wondered why they weren't smaller, since he'd been spending money for his school supplies and other purchases for the last 5 years.

Shrugging, he filled his money bag with a large supply of galleons, and thought about inviting Luna to help herself to some as well. In the end he decided not to say anything in case the gesture was misinterpreted.

Before long, everyone had completed their business at the bank, and they all met up in the entry hall.

"So, are we all ready to shop 'til we drop?" Emma asked them all in an excited tone.

Harry couldn't help but grin a little as the females in their party, Professor McGonagall excluded, all started talking over each other about some of the things they intended to look for in Västerlånggatan.

He felt Luna squeeze his hand and he looked over at her to see a big smile on her face. "Don't forget, you're going to buy me something nice!" she said airily.

He laughed at her boldness, and wondered if anyone else could have made such a statement without him feeling even the slightest trace of annoyance at their presumption.

As they started to leave, Harry eyed the main doors with some suspicion, wondering how they worked. Surely if he followed someone that had entered the bank from Diagon Alley, then he'd notice them disappear at some point, wouldn't he?

After following a witch out the door, he was a little disappointed when she just walked off down the street.

Maybe tomorrow, he thought. Then he forgot all about the bank as his stomach growled, reminding him that he'd missed breakfast.

He joined in the discussion about where to go first, adding his vote for an early lunch. His vote was quickly seconded by Hermione who also appeared to have missed out. The group agreed, and they all set out in search of a café or restaurant.

"I wonder what they have for pudding here?" Luna asked as they walked along.

~o~


	17. Chapter 17: Sirius

**Thoughts of Pudding by Brian64.**

**Chapter 17: Sirius.**

_Tuesday 25th June, 1996._

"What were you thinking, Fawkes? I didn't mean _'right now'!_" Harry said in frustration to the phoenix perched on his shoulder.

He was currently standing with Luna in the middle of the Lovegoods' tent, having just been flamed there by Fawkes.

Fawkes looked down at him with an expression that Harry took to be embarrassment.

"Well? Are you going to take us back?" Harry demanded of the phoenix.

A second later, Harry and Luna appeared back at the café Gråmunken in Västerlånggatan, surrounded by their friends.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Hermione said, relieved at seeing her friends return. Fortunately they hadn't been gone long enough for her to work up a true panic, but she'd been working on it.

Harry looked around the group and couldn't fail to notice a rather knowing smirk on Moody's face. He looked away, more than a little annoyed that Fawkes had kind-of proved Moody correct.

It was Tonks that asked the question. "So, where did you go then, Harry? You can't have just gone for a quick snog, or you wouldn't be back so soon… unless you're really shite at snogging?" she said, her tone turning her last comment into a question.

Harry blushed at the suggestion, and tried to focus on the question instead of the very appealing idea of snogging Luna. "No, we just went back to the tent."

This prompted quite a few widened eyes and a huge grin from Tonks. "So you did go back for a–" she began before Harry interrupted.

"No! I was just thinking about how we were going to get back to the camp after we finished snog– I mean _shopping_! When we finished shopping," he said, correcting his faux pas and blushing furiously now.

"I was just thought about the various methods of travel I knew of. Then, just for a moment, I wondered what it would be like to be flamed there by Fawkes. Next thing I know I'm there with Luna since we were holding hands at the time."

Thinking of Moody's smirk, he looked at the man and added. "He brought me back as soon as I asked though, and I don't think he'll make that mistake again."

"Yeah, well until you know that for sure, I suggest you don't express any desire to see the inside of Dumbledore's office." Moody said, still smirking.

Harry groaned as he couldn't help but imagine the inside of Dumbledore's office at Moody's words. It was the same thing as yesterday when Remus mentioned thinking about the girls nak– _'oh bloody hell!'_ he thought, and closed his eyes in embarrassment.

Harry prayed the phoenix only had the ability to flame people somewhere, not flame away just their clothes.

When he was game to open his eyes again, he saw that Fawkes had twisted his neck and was looking at him in that peculiar upside-down way he did from his shoulder. He also got the distinct impression that the bird was laughing at him.

_'This is entirely your fault you know.'_ he thought to the phoenix. Fawkes didn't respond in any way, but after a little while, the bird straightened his neck and went back to looking around the Western Long Street.

He felt Luna squeeze his hand, but he wasn't sure he could afford to look at her until he got his thoughts under control, so he just squeezed back.

"Well now that we've finished lunch, I think we should move on before someone notices all the unusual stuff going on." Dan suggested. He still didn't understand why everyone around wasn't gawping at Fawkes as they walked around, when he could barely take his eyes off the phoenix himself.

Remus answered his unspoken question. "Don't worry, Dan. We've got enough notice-me-not charms on that we'd have to almost blow up a building before any of the Muggles would pay attention. Even then they'd just be looking at the building. Still we don't want to attract the attention of their Aurors."

"Einhärjers." Xenophilius interjected.

"Pardon?" Remus asked, turning to the man.

"Einhärjers. That's what the Swedish government uses instead of Aurors. We do _not_ want to mess with them, not at all," he said, surprising everyone by not mentioning any of his wild conspiracy theories. Unfortunately, they thought this too soon.

"Of course, since the Swedish minister doesn't have an army of heliopaths at his beck and call, he had to make sure his military police were up to scratch, didn't he?" Only his daughter gave him a reassuring nod.

Harry grinned as everyone tried to hide their various looks of amusement, disbelief, or in some cases, concern for the man's sanity. Poor Tonks had tried to stifle a loud laugh that ended up becoming a snort instead, and she tried to disguise it as a coughing fit.

"I think she must have accidentally swallowed a Nargle." Remus said in a loud aside to Xenophilius, before he walked over to pat her back as though trying to assist her.

"Not helping!" Tonks said quietly, between 'coughs'.

Leaving the café, they walked across to the eastern side of the street. Many of the buildings on this side had their entrances facing Prästgatan, the next street over. The goodly number of blank rear walls was obviously too great a temptation for the Swedish magical community, and they used the opportunity to magically add their own stores right under the eyes of the Muggles that ignored them completely. Magical shops also flourished in the tiny alleys between streets.

Harry wondered whether the doorways took them to completely different buildings and locations like Gringotts, or platform nine and three quarters at King's Cross, but in the end decided to just accept it.

The group spent the afternoon touring the shops, both muggle and magical. The magical bookshop ended up getting a substantial hammering by the time Hermione, Luna and the four order members had grabbed a copy of just about every book on the shelves. Or at least, that's what Harry assumed by the time he saw the pile on the counter.

Harry's eyes widened as the shopkeeper announced the price in galleons, and everyone looked at him. It was at about this time that Harry regretted asking for help in selecting good books that would help his training.

Grumbling, he started digging through his money bag for galleons until the shopkeeper just asked him if he would prefer to just charge it to his vault. When Harry agreed, the shopkeeper asked him to press his vault key and a drop of his blood on a slip of parchment. It glowed briefly to show that the transaction had been approved.

The shopkeeper then handed Harry the parchment slip, and at his blank stare, advised him that it now served as his receipt.

With five adults shrinking the books, it didn't take long before they were all tucked away in a small bag that Hermione happily volunteered to carry.

It wasn't until they were almost about to leave Västerlånggatan that Harry finally had an opportunity to buy something nice for Luna.

The girls had found a hat shop, and all of the women were admiring the various hats, fascinators, tiaras, hairclips and other headpieces available. Harry noticed Luna spending some time admiring what appeared to be some scrunched up white lace attached to a hair clip, and decided this would make a nice gift for her.

Noticing Harry approaching, Luna reluctantly replaced the clip back on the display she'd taken it from, and took his hand. She was a little surprised when Harry handed the clip back to her, but as he led them towards the sales counter she caught on and hugged his arm tightly as they walked.

Eventually they found themselves back in front of Gringotts, and everyone decided that they had shopped enough for one day. Talk of a possible return trip prompted Minerva to create a portkey, and she asked Hermione for the parchment that Vanir had given her originally. Concentrating carefully on their current location, she cast the portkey charm on the parchment, and then gave it back to her student.

Shortly afterwards, the group activated another portkey back to their camp at Näshultasjön.

~o~

A little later, Harry was back in his room and staring at his bed. Or rather, he was staring at the piles of stuff sitting on top of it. Once they'd returned, it seemed that almost everyone had come in and dropped off at least one bag onto his bed. Tonks had just laughed at his expression as she decided to dump the contents of what must have been about half a dozen bags on the bed, instead of leaving them in the bags as the others had.

Hermione knocked and entered his room, cheerfully waving the bag containing all of his shrunken books. Harry just groaned back at her.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"What am I going to do with all of this stuff, Hermione?" he asked, an irritating little whine had crept into his tone and he cursed himself. "Sorry," he added.

Hermione smiled. "Why don't you just pack it all into that new trunk Moody ordered you to buy?" she asked.

Harry looked over at the multi-compartment trunk and shuddered. "I'm not so sure that's a good idea. I have enough trouble finding things in the regular trunk I've got. This is just going to help me lose seven times as much stuff as before," he replied, confident that he'd just spoken a true prophecy.

"Well, you're going to have to put everything away _somewhere_, or you'll have nowhere to sleep tonight. You're too big to share that stone nest you made for Fawkes. She waved over to the nest in question, still a little surprised it had held its shape.

"Come on, the sooner you get started, the sooner it'll be done. How about I put the books away in the trunk for you, while you put your new clothes away in your wardrobe?

"Thanks, Hermione." Harry said, nodding with some relief. He knew that if she got things sorted out, then he stood a good chance of being able to find things again. He handed her the keys to the trunk, and started sorting through the clothes. Naturally it was his new underwear that Tonks decided to spread out all over the top of everything else.

Hermione had planned to open up the compartments in turn until she found the one she wanted, but when she opened the first compartment, she found a parchment which explained the features of the trunk and how it worked. After reading it, she learned that the fourth compartment was the one she wanted.

Keeping hold of the instructions, she closed the lid and unlocked the fourth compartment. As the lid opened, an empty four shelf bookcase rose up from the trunk, expanding in size as it did so.

Pulling a couple of the shrunken books from the bag she'd dropped at her feet, she restored them to normal size and placed them on the first shelf. Then she gave the handle at the right of the bookcase a small tug, and watched as the bookcase smoothly rotated clockwise as though on a turntable.

As it spun, another empty bookcase came into view. Ignoring it, Hermione tugged again at the handle on the right side, and again the bookcase swung around clockwise easily.

Hermione stared at the new set of empty shelves. The instructions had said that this would happen, but for some reason she had still expected to see the two books she'd added earlier. Sometimes seeing really was believing, even for a witch.

Grabbing the handle on the left side this time, she swung the bookcase back through two anti-clockwise rotations and was pleased to see the two books back where she'd placed them.

This is going to be fun, she thought, and spent the next hour unshrinking books and adding them to the shelves by topic, leaving the first bookcase empty for him to store books he was currently reading.

As she placed the last book on the shelves, she looked around the room only to find that she was alone. He could at least have said something before leaving, she thought to herself, and then acknowledged the possibility that maybe he had said something and she'd just been too preoccupied to notice.

Turning the key caused the bookcase to shrink back into the trunk and the lid to close. She looked over at the bed and the still fairly large assortment of items and pondered whether to continue putting away his new stuff or go looking for Harry.

Deciding that Harry was probably spending time with Luna, she sighed and reached for the nearest bag lying on its side on the bed. As she lifted it up, she found it had been hiding a pair of bright pink boxers decorated with love hearts, and she started laughing her head off.

~o~

Harry had been in the middle of putting away his clothes when he saw Luna standing in his bedroom doorway. She had changed into a white summer dress with a floral print and she looked completely adorable. She smiled at him and gestured for him to follow her, and as he passed Hermione, he muttered something to his friend about finishing the rest later.

He took the hand Luna offered and she led him out of the tent. They didn't talk as they walked slowly along the bank of the lake, as there didn't seem to be anything that either needed to say. They just enjoyed the peaceful surroundings in each other's company.

Harry had already taken a half-step before he realised that Luna had stopped walking, and he looked back at her to see why. He saw her staring at him with the same look on her face that she'd had when they were in her back garden yesterday.

As she moved towards him, fully intent on kissing him, he wondered briefly whether anyone would be interrupting them again as they had yesterday.

Then as her lips met his, he stopped wondering about anything but the soft, warm girl in his arms.

When he next started thinking about the world around him, he found himself sitting against a tree with Luna sitting sideways on his lap. Their arms were wrapped around each other and she put her head on his shoulder, giving his neck soft kisses.

"Uh, Luna… That feels incredible, but umm, I think you'd better stop now… please," he asked, cursing his inexperience. There wasn't anything in the talk he'd had yesterday to suggest he should be feeling so close to boiling over just from holding a girl and kissing her.

"But I really like kissing you." Luna protested.

"And I like kissing you." Harry agreed fervently. "It's just become my most favourite thing ever. But, I… umm, well, I'm not used to this and…" he paused, trying to think of the last embarrassing way to tell her his problem.

She lifted her head from his shoulder and gave him one of those looks that he decided must be her desire for him. She leaned in and kissed him tenderly and then softly said. "I understand, Harry. Would you like me to head back to camp and leave you alone for a while?"

Harry's eyes widened a little as his brain interpreted what she was really saying. "No! Err, I mean, no that's fine. Let's just talk for a bit though, okay?"

Luna nodded "That's a good idea," she said, as her fingers toyed with the hair at the nape of his neck. "Did you give some thought to what I asked you last night?"

Harry tried thinking about the conversation, and gaped at her as he realised what she meant. "Are you serious? I can barely remember my own name at the moment, let alone think of another girl. You're gorgeous! Why would I want to think about anyone else?"

She smiled at him. "I think that's your hormones talking. But thank you anyway, Harry."

She got up off his lap and then stood over by a nearby tree, looking over at him.

Harry sulked a little at her departure, before he accepted the need for her to have done so and sighed. "I did think about what you said last night, Luna, but my thoughts just kept going in circles. Then today, after our kiss this morning and how things have been going between us today and just now… I really hoped that the issue had been dropped," he admitted.

"Hermione and I came to an agreement, Harry. We decided that we were going to leave it up to you to decide, and not get in each other's way. Whatever happens we agreed we were going to still be friends."

Harry just stared at her.

"Harry, you should know that she feels about you the same way that you feel about her. She was also worried that your friendship would suffer if a romance didn't work out."

Harry shook his head as though trying to clear it. The idea of having Luna attracted to him was still so new and unbelievable. Then to learn that Hermione, his best friend, felt something similar was a little overwhelming.

He looked up at her with a pleading expression. "But Luna, you're my girlfriend now, and I'm happy that you are. Can't we just be happy together? I can't think about anyone else while I'm with you, that wouldn't be right."

"Well then, maybe we should–" Luna began.

"Please don't finish what I think you're about to say!" Harry said, interrupting her, his eyes glistening.

"Alright, Harry," she said, smiling at him.

He got up and took her into a hug, feeling as relieved as if he'd just managed to dodge a curse.

"We'll leave it for now then, and I'll give it some more thought," she said, and then kissed his neck.

They stood there for a while enjoying their cuddling and gentle nibbles, before a silvery patronus found them and announced that dinner was ready.

~o~

At the same time, and at various locations around the UK and Sweden, owls were delivering invitations to the reading of the will of Sirius Black.

As Molly and Arthur read the invitation for the Weasley family, their thoughts went to Harry and the hope that they might see him there tomorrow. Arthur comforted his wife as she cried at the thought of the pain her as-good-as seventh son would be going through.

Albus Dumbledore also thought of Harry as he read his own invitation. Various plans arose and were discarded as he considered how he might utilise this opportunity to meet with Harry for the first time since the night Sirius had been lost.

Draco Malfoy smiled in anticipation at what the morning would bring to him. He knew he was the closest heir to the Black family, as neither of his aunts had sons.

Narcissa looked impassively at the expression on her son's face as he read the letter addressed to the Malfoy family. She thought it highly unlikely that Draco would inherit from Sirius, yet the boy seemed to think it was a _fait accompli_. He was such a disappointment to her. Lucius had ruined her son; instilling arrogance and an undeserved superior attitude from an early age. If he was to inherit the title of Lord Black, she doubted that her old family name would recover for generations.

Andromeda and Ted Tonks read their letter, and hoped it meant they would have a chance to talk with their daughter in the morning.

The owl given the task of carrying a letter to Bellatrix Lestrange, merely looked at it in disdain, and then settled itself back to sleep. The goblin swore at it, and then reviewed the file he had on the vault holder. A short time later the owl was flying off to a different target with a larger envelope containing a parchment and the original invitation.

In Sweden, a parliament of owls delivered letters to Harry, Tonks, Remus, Minerva and the Grangers. They were sitting around a campfire in conjured sofas, having just finished eating dinner.

"Well, looks like a few of us will be coming along with you tomorrow for the will reading, Harry." Remus announced after reading his letter.

Harry looked down for a minute, before looking back up at the group. "Is there any reason why you can't all come with me? If you don't mind, that is?"

Remus looked around to see if anyone else was going to answer, and then shrugged. "There aren't any rules against beneficiaries bringing guests along that I know of. I can't see it being a problem."

"Good." Harry replied, relieved.

"Now that that's settled, perhaps we can get back to what we were discussing before those owls interrupted us." Moody said irritably.

Harry nodded his agreement. The conversation had just started about the training Harry would be undertaking. "I'd like to learn to apparate. I think we all should be able to, so that we can get out of nasty situations if we have to. If I had known how to apparate back in fourth year, maybe I could have escaped from the graveyard before Wormtail had a chance to take my blood for the ritual."

"Maybe, or maybe there were wards up to prevent you from apparating out." Moody growled.

"There weren't any wards. If there were, then how did the Death Eaters arrive after Voldemort called for them?"

"Maybe they used portkeys?" Moody suggested, getting more irritated.

"No, they popped–"

"Look, Potter, playing the what-if game can be useful sometimes, but not if you use it to beat yourself up over things you have bugger-all control over. Move on, it's done with, regardless. Learning to apparate is a good idea, Leave it at that."

"I can teach you three how to apparate if you like, Harry." Remus offered, interrupting another budding argument between Harry and Moody. Harry nodded at his offer.

Looking over at Minerva, Harry wondered whether it was worth asking the question he wanted to ask.

Minerva saw the look and guessed what he wanted. "Harry, I can teach you about the Animagus transformation. I think Remus can provide some insight as well, since his friends all went through the process. Just don't expect to be able to change anytime soon."

"You mean, you think it's possible I have an animagus form?" Harry asked hopefully.

Minerva laughed. "Harry, have you never wondered how it was that _all_ of the Marauders were able to transform into animals? What do you suppose the odds are of that?"

Hermione, sitting alongside her professor, let out a yell. "Oh my God! How could I have missed that?"

"You missed it because you were supposed to miss it." Minerva said. "There aren't any texts at Hogwarts that explains how the transformation is achieved, and the professors, myself included, are required to emphasise the difficulty of achieving it. Still, it is possible for the majority of magical people, providing they have suitable motivation."

The three teens looked as though their Christmas had come early.

"Ok, now for the bad news…" Tonks began, waiting for their attention to turn to her. "I'm going to help you build up your stamina and fitness. So there is going to be some exercising, running, swimming, and– What's wrong?" Tonks asked, looking over at Harry who had glanced over at Luna next to him and started blushing as swimming had been mentioned.

Harry shook his head. "Nothing. Well… I can't swim yet," he said, blushing a bit with embarrassment.

"That won't take long to learn." Tonks said impatiently. "Anyway, we'll run you lot through the Auror training program, as that's as good a place to start as any."

She looked around at the others. "What else is there?"

"Occlumency." Moody said immediately. "We don't want another screw-up like what happened at the Ministry."

Harry shook his head. "Well, since neither Snape or Dumbledore are here, I can't see how I'm going to learn that."

"What are you talking about? All Aurors get basic occlumency training. I can take over from what Snape started and give you the basics." Moody said with a scowl.

Harry shook his head. "I'm not letting you into my head if I've got any choice in the matter. Besides, I don't think I can learn it. I didn't get very far with Snape."

"How about I have a go then?" Tonks suggested.

Harry thought about it, and nodded slowly.

She got up from the sofa next to Remus and knelt down in front of Harry with her wand out.

Harry looked alarmed. "What? Right now?" he blurted out.

Tonks grinned. "Yeah. No time like the present. I'll just have a quick peek to see how far along you are, and then I can plan out some lessons, alright?"

Harry struggled to come up with an objection that sounded even halfway plausible, anything that would let him defer or avoid what was to come, but he couldn't think of a single reason.

He nodded, not willing to trust his voice at the moment.

"Hey, buck up. I'm not that scary, am I?" she said playfully, trying to get a grin out of him.

Harry smiled weakly. There were so many memories he didn't want to remember, and he knew from experience that the chances of not having to go through them all were probably slim to none.

"All right then, Harry? You ready now?" she asked.

Harry sat up straight on the edge of the sofa, and tried to clear his mind of thoughts and emotions. He nodded.

"_Legilimens!_" Tonks cast.

The others watched as she held her wand on Harry, then after a while she dropped it and launched herself at him with tears in her eyes.

"It's NOT your fault Harry!" she said firmly, hugging him tightly. "I want to hear you say it!" she demanded.

"But it is." Harry replied, tears falling down her back as he let himself be held by Tonks without hugging her back. "If only I–"

"It is not your fault!" Tonks insisted.

"Oh God! Sirius!" Hermione whispered, suddenly realising what was going on. Tears filled her own eyes as she got the urge to wrap Harry in a hug as well. Minerva put an arm around her and tried to soothe her, while her own eyes glistened.

Remus put a hand to his face, hiding his own tears. He'd failed Harry yet again, this time by not picking up on his misplaced guilt. _I'm so sorry, James, Lily…_ he thought.

"Harry, that bloody son of a bitch didn't teach you the first thing about Occlumency, so it's not your fault you couldn't learn it. That means it's not your fault Sirius died!" Tonks said firmly.

"But… if I had listened to Hermione, if I hadn't gone to the Ministry…"

"Harry. I've just seen it, remember? You had no way of knowing that the vision you had of Sirius being tortured was any different to the one you had of Arthur, and you saved _him_ by acting on it. It's the same thing. You were doing everything you could think of to try and save Sirius, even racing off to face You-Know-Who! There was no way you could have known it was a fake vision." Tonks said, relentlessly and repetitively beating at his objections.

"But…" Harry hesitated, wanting to believe her, but not knowing if he could.

Luna moved from the sofa beside him and into his line of sight behind Tonks. "Harry," she began, waiting for him to look at her. When he did, she said calmly, "It wasn't your fault he died."

He looked at her for a second and then slowly nodded, and then began sobbing in earnest. His arms came up to hug Tonks back fiercely. Luna simply moved closer to join the hug, with Tonks sandwiched in the middle. One hand went to Harry's head where it now rested on Tonks' shoulder, and she started stroking his hair.

Fawkes started crooning softly from where he perched on a nearby tree branch.

When his tears subsided, Luna kissed his forehead and they all separated. Tonks looked steadily at the teen, and Harry understood the unspoken question.

"It's not my fault," he said softly.

"That's right, Harry," she agreed. She touched the side of his face briefly, and then got up. "Oh my poor bloody knees!" she exclaimed, rubbing at them as she moved back to the sofa next to Remus. Luna sat back alongside Harry and wrapped his arm in a hug.

A few minutes later Harry got up. "I think I'll get an early night," he said softly. "Goodnight, everyone." The group wished him a goodnight as Luna walked with him back into the Lovegoods' tent. Fawkes flew down from his branch onto Harry's shoulder.

Once he'd left, Moody asked the question everyone wanted to know the answer to. "Alright, Tonks, what can you tell us?"

She shook her head. "I hardly know where to begin. He's been crushed with guilt and firmly believes that Sirius would still be alive if it wasn't for him. As you've probably guessed, he thinks that if he'd only learned Occlumency properly, he wouldn't have had the vision that set off the events at the Ministry."

Something else occurred to her. "Oh, and that's something else he's not dealing well with either – all of the injuries his friends took at the Ministry. He's somehow got it twisted in his head that he dragged them all along, even though most of them had to bully him into joining him."

"You told Harry that Severus hadn't taught Harry Occlumency? Is that true?" Minerva asked, afraid of what the answer might suggest.

"The bloody scumbag used the sessions to mind rape Harry and bring up all the horrible crap he's had to live through. He didn't teach him anything useful. All he told him was to clear his mind and empty himself of his emotions. Even then he didn't give him any information on how to do it."

"How bad is it, Tonks?" Moody asked gruffly.

"Between Snape and You-Know-Who he's got no natural defences left. We're going to have to start from scratch, and I'm not a master at this. It's a pity Dumbledore couldn't have taught him." Tonks said with a sigh.

Luna came out of the tent and sat down on the empty sofa she had shared with Harry. "He's gone right to sleep. Fawkes is with him," she told them. Hermione got up and sat beside her friend, putting an arm around her back in support.

Nobody spoke as they each pondered their own thoughts. Eventually the girls departed for bed and wished the group goodnight before heading into the room they shared.

After changing into her pyjamas, Hermione got into bed. She wasn't too surprised when Luna climbed in to join her after she had finished getting changed as well.

"I'm sorry, Hermione." Luna said, as she cuddled up to Hermione much as she had the previous night.

"Sorry for what, Luna? For not picking up that Harry wasn't just grieving for Sirius? I'm the one that should be apologising to you then, since I'm supposed to be his best friend after all. A fine friend I turned out to be!"

She started crying again, and Luna joined her as Hermione's tears triggered her own release of emotion that she'd held in earlier when Harry needed her to be strong.

Neither girl could think of anything to say to help the other deal with their guilt, mostly as they were focussed on their own perceived failures. They did gain some comfort from each other's presence though, and they once again drifted off to sleep with tears in their eyes.

~o~


	18. Chapter 18: Family Matters

**Thoughts of Pudding by Brian64.**

**Chapter 18: Family Matters.**

_Wednesday 26th June, 1996._

When Harry awoke the next morning, he immediately felt something was different.

It wasn't the phoenix laying next to him using his stomach as a pillow for his head. Nor was it the pale light making its way through the curtains. Back in the UK, that level of light would have provided a clue as to what time it was, but here in Sweden all it told him was that it wasn't really daytime yet. Then again, did it really matter what time it was? He felt fully rested and wouldn't be able to get back to sleep anyway.

Carefully sliding out from under both Fawkes' head and his blankets, he got out of bed and stretched. He felt… lighter somehow. It didn't take him long to work out that he owed Tonks a great big thank you when he saw her.

As he collected a change of clothes and his toiletries before heading for the bathroom, he thought about what he might need to face today at the will reading.

Well, the most obvious first: Sirius was dead.

Since it was a will reading it meant that Sirius really was dead. He knew that, of course, since he'd seen it happen… once for real, and then just about every night since after he fell asleep.

But had he really accepted it now? He thought about it some more and was surprised to find that it didn't feel like he was poking at a raw wound inside himself.

That worried him a little. Did that mean that the grief he'd been feeling the last couple of weeks was all just guilt at thinking he'd caused his death? He thought about that while he showered. What was he feeling now that the guilt didn't own him anymore?

He was rather shocked to discover that many of his thoughts and feelings on the issue were focussed around himself instead of Sirius. He'd never realised he was such a selfish git!

Sirius' death had ruined his plans for having a happy home life, the chance to experience a 'family', a chance to leave the Dursleys' for good, to have someone that 'belonged' to him, to have someone that would support and look after him, to… Oh God! Wasn't any part of what he was feeling sorrow for what Sirius would no longer be able to do or experience himself?

What had Sirius planned to do if, or when, he ever got his name cleared? Was there someone he wanted to date? A career he wanted to start or restart? Why didn't he know these things?

Well, at least he knew the answer to that last question. It was because Sirius always wanted to talk about his godson and the things that interested that godson, even though his selfish godson clearly couldn't be bothered to talk about his godfather.

Having finished dressing, he looked in the bathroom mirror and attacked his hair. It was a wasted effort.

After dumping his stuff back in his room, he decided to head outside the tent to see if anyone else was awake.

He found Tonks sitting in an easy chair around the small campfire staring at the flames.

"Morning, Harry." Tonks said with a smile.

"Morning, Tonks." Harry replied, smiling back.

Tonks produced her wand and another chair appeared near her. "Come and take a load off," she invited him.

Harry walked over and sat down in the chair provided. He looked at her, not sure how he was going to say what he wanted to. Fortunately Tonks saved him by opening the conversation.

"So, Harry, how are you doing this morning?" she asked easily, as though wanting his views on whether the Cannons had any chance against Puddlemere.

Harry wasn't fooled though and knew exactly what she was asking. "Umm, pretty good some parts, but others I feel really crappy about," he told her honestly.

She raised an eyebrow at him and waited.

Harry looked at her, not quite sure what she was after.

"You rotten bugger, you're gonna make me ask aren't you?" Tonks complained. "Alright, so what are you feeling crappy about now? I'm warning you, if you come up with some shite about feeling guilty about causing Sirius' death I'm going to throw you in the lake!"

Harry had to grin at the tone behind her words, and couldn't help but cheek her. "You mean, you'll try! 'Boy-Who-Lived' here, remember! You don't look tougher than the basilisk," he said, smirking at her.

"Oh, is that so?" she said, laughing. The next thing Harry knew, he was suspended upside down by an ankle, with Tonks' wand still trained on him.

"You know, I'm not so sure about this 'Boy-Who-Lived' moniker of yours. I think I'm gonna call you; The-Boy-Who-Got-His-Arse-Kicked-By-A-Girl-In-Three-Seconds instead."

She started waggling her wand up and down, which caused Harry to bounce along with the wand's motion.

"You know what? My tea would get cold yelling all that out, so maybe I'll just call you 'Three' for short. What do you think, Three?" she asked, holding her wand steady again.

"I think it's a good thing I haven't had breakfast yet!" Harry replied, still laughing.

"So, Three, am I scarier than a basilisk then?" she growled playfully.

"Yep, you're dead scary. Worse than Dementors!" Harry agreed. "Bring out a Boggart and there'll be two of you in front of me. So, can you let me down now?"

"What's the magic word?" Tonks asked, jiggling her wand up and down gently as encouragement.

"Well, there are so many of them…" he began, before he started bouncing furiously again.

"Please!" he yelled, or tried to while laughing. "The magic word is please!"

Tonks twisted her wand, and Harry turned the right way up before dropping the short distance back to his chair.

After calming himself down and letting the blood flow back into his body from where it must have collected in his head, Harry looked over at Tonks – only to find her looking at him with a raised eyebrow again. _'Oh hell, what was the question?'_ he wondered.

"Err, I'm sorry?" he tried.

At her continued stare he tried again. "Thanks for letting me down, and, umm, oh yeah, I prefer Harry to 'Three'…".

He struggled to think of what else she might have asked, but whatever it was escaped him.

She shook her head at him. "Nope. What's got you feeling crappy, Harry?"

"Oh, that… Well, it just occurred to me this morning that most of the feelings I have about losing Sirius, are about how it affects me. So it's like I'm feeling sorry for myself, instead of for Sirius." Harry said, looking at his feet and feeling about two inches tall as he confessed to Tonks.

"Is that all?" Tonks asked with a sigh, then, more happily exclaimed, "That's great!"

Harry looked up, amazed. "What?"

"Bloody hell, Harry, you're fifteen, going on sixteen. Of course the world revolves around you. The fact that you're even worried about that puts you ahead of most teenagers."

She looked at his expression, and tried again with a more serious tone. "Trust me, Harry. You're perfectly normal for a change."

Harry thought about what she'd said, and then a relieved smile appeared on his face. He thought for a moment and then his smile became a wicked smirk "You know, maybe I should wait until I hear that from a _normal_ person before I stop worrying, yeah?"

"Do you really want to test the temperature of the lake, _Three?_" she asked him.

Harry thought about it a bit more. "Well, now that you mention it, you do seem pretty normal to me…" he said, grinning.

"That's what I thought," she said, before becoming slightly more serious. "Okay, so apart from that, how are you feeling?"

"Much better, Tonks, you really helped last night." Harry said sincerely.

"No problem, Harry. What's family for if they can't be there for each other when they need it?"

"Fa–fa–family?" Harry said, immediately losing his humour and focussing entirely on Tonks.

"Yeah, your grandpa, Charlus Potter married a Black… Dorea I think her name was. So that makes us cousins."

"We're… family?" Harry asked, not quite believing it.

"You did know my mum was a Black before she married my dad didn't you?" she asked.

Harry nodded, and then another thought occurred to him. "So that means… Sirius was related to me as well? He wasn't just my godfather."

"Yep. Just don't ask me to work out the actual relationship. I'm crap at all that 'first cousin once removed' shite. We're cousins, and you and my cousin Sirius were cousins. That's good enough for me."

"So, we're really family?" Harry asked again, scarcely believing it.

Tonks knew how important this was to Harry. She'd seen first-hand from his memories that Harry had thought he'd lost his only links to any sort of family with the death of his godfather. The Dursleys never acknowledged him as family, so they were just relatives.

She nodded at him and gave him a big smile. "Yeah, Harry, we're family. So have you got a hug for your cousin?"

"Oh hell, yeah!" Harry said as he launched himself at her.

"Hey, try not to break my ribs, cuz!" she hugged him back for a bit then decided to tease him a little.

"So, Harry, are you looking forward to catching up with our cousin Draco today?"

Harry pulled back and looked at her in horror.

"Oh, bloody hell!" Harry cursed loudly and venomously.

Tonks swatted the back of his head, none too gently. "Watch your language!" she instructed him seriously.

"But you swear all the time!" he responded in amazement at her hypocrisy.

"So what's your point?" she asked him, giving him a steady stare.

"Well, doesn't that mean that if you… then… never mind." Harry said, trailing off as Tonks' look overrode his objection. Besides, he really didn't want to be annoyed with his new cousin so soon.

She nodded, and then dropped her stern look and grinned happily at him again.

"Alright. Now, how about some breakfast?" she asked him.

Harry nodded "Good idea," he said, feeling hungry.

"Great. I'll have some toast and eggs while you're at it," she said, grinning wickedly at him.

Harry stared at her for a minute in disbelief and then walked off muttering loudly enough for her to hear his mock complaints about rotten, nasty, evil, older cousins that took advantage of their younger, smarter and better behaved relatives.

~o~

Hermione walked out of the tent and joined Tonks, taking the seat that had been conjured for Harry earlier.

"Harry seems a lot more cheerful than he was yesterday, Tonks. You did a really good thing for him. Thank you," she told the older witch.

"No problem, Hermione. He's a great kid, and he has enough to deal with as it is, without–" she paused as she saw Harry come out of the tent with a plate and cutlery in hand.

"Watch this!" she told Hermione quietly out of the side of her mouth.

"Here you go, you ruddy slave driver." Harry said without any heat in his voice and with a faint smile on his face.

Tonks took the offered plate and cutlery. "Thanks, cousin," she said brightly.

Harry's face broke into a grin as he beamed at her. "You're welcome, cousin," he replied, then turned to Hermione. "Same for you, Hermione?"

Hermione just nodded, speechless, then turned to Tonks for an explanation after Harry went back inside.

"Harry's gran was a Black, so we're related. Buggered if I know why Sirius didn't bother to tell him. Maybe he just assumed Harry already knew? Anyway, his ignorance of that was just one of the things I picked up from rummaging through his skull yesterday."

She stood up and conjured a table and chairs big enough for half a dozen people to sit at, then took her breakfast to the table. When Hermione joined her, she vanished the two chairs they'd been sitting on.

Tonks started in on her toast and eggs, and made an appreciative sound. After swallowing she turned to Hermione. "You know, he's going to make some witch very happy some day."

Hermione nodded at her and then looked down at the table, embarrassed at where her thoughts were heading.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Look, Hermione, I know it's not really my place to get involved, but I did get an unwanted peek into a couple of conversations between Luna and Harry concerning you. Since I can't pretend I don't know what's going on, all I'm going to say is that I think Luna's right."

Hermione couldn't help but look over at Tonks, wondering what it was that Luna was right about.

"You three owe it to yourselves to talk it all out so that there aren't any regrets later. She's got a good point in that she's only known him a few days, and you've known him for years. There's a real connection between those two, but it's a new thing." Tonks said, looking back at her breakfast before sighing, as though making a decision.

She put her cutlery down and looked directly at Hermione. She hadn't been shy about continuing to eat between her comments, but she wanted to make a point now. "The longer it goes before you and Harry talk, the harder it's going to be for them both if it ends up being you and Harry that end up together."

Hermione broke her gaze again in frustration. She understood all this, but she didn't want to be the one that broke them up. No matter the outcome, Harry couldn't help but resent her for coming between him and Luna. And if he did stay with Luna afterwards, could he still be friends with her after almost breaking them up?

Tonks interrupted her thoughts. "I can guess what you're thinking, Hermione, and all I'll say is that short of casting an unforgivable at him, he'll be your friend no matter what. Still, you might want to avoid dating Malfoy or Snape though," she said, then winked at Hermione's shocked expression as she looked up in horror at the idea. Tonks just kept on eating.

Hermione didn't get a chance to respond before Harry came out with her breakfast.

Tonks took the opportunity to finish off her plate before he left.

"Pretty good, cuz," she complimented him, patting her stomach. "But there was one small problem."

Harry frowned. "What was wrong?" he asked, concerned.

"The serving was too small! Any chance you can make me some more?" she asked, smiling and batting her eyes at him.

"And if I said I thought you'd had enough?" Harry said, playing with her.

"Then I'd give you to the count of… _'three'_ to change your mind… unless you'd rather just _hang around_ with us?" she asked, giving him a smirk.

Harry chuckled and threw up his hands in mock surrender. "Another serving of toast and eggs it is then."

Hermione just looked at their interaction, feeling a little jealous at how easily they bantered back and forth. Something had _definitely_ changed since last night.

"Eat up, Hermione." Tonks said after Harry went back inside with her plate. "Trust me, that's too good to let it get cold, and, starting tomorrow, we'll be back on Luna's healthier breakfasts, as we'll need the extra energy."

Hermione did as she was told, and started eating. By the time she'd finished, other people had started waking up, and, after joining the table, placed their own breakfast orders with Harry as he brought out seconds for Tonks.

Hermione waved off Harry's hands, and took her plate inside herself, and then helped him prepare the toast and made tea for those that wanted it.

They talked, but only about inconsequential things.

~o~

With a couple of hours still to go before they were due at the will reading, Harry thought about the upcoming trip to Gringotts and realised they had a problem.

"Oh, bugger," he exclaimed suddenly.

Since everyone was nearby relaxing after their breakfasts, they all looked over at him, and he looked a little embarrassed. He gave Tonks a guilty nod at her raised eyebrow.

"Sorry. I just realised that Professor Dumbledore is probably going to be at the will reading. So if we're going to practise constant vigilance as we usually do, then we can't just portkey from here in case he uses legilimency on one of us."

Moody nodded approvingly, and gave him a soft clap. When Remus was about to speak, Moody interrupted him. "So what would you suggest we do, Harry?"

Harry wondered a little about Moody using his first name again, but thought about a possible solution.

"Well, we could walk over to that nearby meadow–" he began, before he was interrupted.

"Gofars Ängar" Xenophilius said.

"What?" Harry asked.

"The meadow. It's called Gofars Ängar. It was listed on that parchment Vanir gave us." Xenophilius replied. "Just thought you'd want to know," he said, happy to have contributed something to the discussion.

Harry stared at him. "Thank you. Umm, yeah, so we all go to Gofars meadow, then you can obliviate our memories of Sweden, and we can all portkey from there. Since the meadow could be almost anywhere, it won't really help Dumbledore to find us later if he sees it in our minds."

"Not bad, Harry. That's not bad for having just come up with that on the spot." Remus told him.

"Okay, what are we actually going to do, then?" Harry asked, hearing the unspoken _'but…'_ amongst the praise.

"Pretty much what you just said, Harry." Dan said. "But Emma and I have to stay behind with Mr Moody. Unfortunately, we've been told that memory wiping spell is a one-way ticket for us. They can't be restored again later like they can with you magical folk."

"They can't? Why's that?" he asked.

Moody answered him. "Your magic runs everywhere through your body, including your mind. When the Obliviate spell hits it trying to remove certain memories, the magic you have running through your head ends up wrapped around them. You follow?"

"Not really, but I'll take your word for it." Harry replied.

Moody tried again. "Look, think of an egg. The yolk is the memory, and the white is your magic. The Obliviate can't get to the yolk because of the white, so it forms a shell around it instead, which stops you from seeing the yolk. When we crack the shell, the yolk can be seen again. Muggles don't have the white, so the yolk gets removed and no shell forms."

Harry thought he understood, but then realised there was a problem with that explanation. "What about Gilderoy Lockhart then? Why couldn't his memories be restored?"

It was Remus that answered this time. "That's a different case entirely. He got hit with the spell backlash from a broken wand. If we go with the egg analogy, then instead of trying to remove some yolks, he ended up scrambling them completely. That's not quite the answer, but it's near enough. The other part is that it's almost impossible to Obliviate yourself properly, because you need to focus on which memories to remove. So at some point, you lose track of what you are doing and the spell starts taking other memories randomly since it doesn't know when to stop."

Harry nodded, and realised Moody could hardly memory charm himself, and so would be vulnerable if he went with them. It was obvious to him that 'Constant Vigilance' Moody wouldn't rely on his occlumency being better than Dumbledore's legilimency.

"Getting back to the point, we're going to be leaving from inside one of the tents. Why waste time walking to the meadow and risking Dumbledore somehow managing to recognise the meadow from the colour of the grass or some such?" Moody added conversationally.

When he saw Harry groan at the obvious departure point, Moody smiled. "Don't worry about it. Your way would have worked well enough, just don't overlook the simplest solutions next time. Now, what else have you forgotten?" Moody asked him.

Harry frowned. What else was there? They'd be in the tent, Moody would modify their memories, and they they'd use the portkey to Väster–

"Oh, bugger! How are we going to get to Gringotts? If we take the portkey to Stockholm again, then we'll have memories of Sweden before we get inside. Can we make a portkey to directly inside Gringotts?" he asked dubiously, looking at Minerva, as she'd been making nearly all of their portkeys so far.

She shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not. The goblins are quite fussy about portkeys to their bank, due to their rather unique location… wherever it is."

Harry snapped his fingers. "Vanir can make one! We can ask him for another portkey to Gringotts, since he's obviously authorised to make one as a Swedish Ministry official."

Moody nodded. "Good. You came up with another valid solution. But what is the simplest answer?" he asked Harry.

Harry thought furiously for a minute, but was drawing a blank. In sudden realisation, he pulled out the invitation he'd received the previous day and read it more closely. Then he groaned. The letter was designed to act as a portkey to the bank, and could be activated as early as 15 minutes before the reading was due to commence.

"Don't feel bad, Harry." Remus said. "We saw that you didn't do any more than glance at it last night. Perfectly understandable I think under the circumstances."

"The important thing to focus on is that you were able to quickly come up with workable solutions to problems." Moody said. "With practice and training, you'll get better at it."

"Now, between you and me, I _like_ the idea of arriving earlier than everyone else. So I think we'll go with your plan and see if we can get another portkey from Vanir. You think Fawkes is up to a little trip?" Moody asked him.

Harry shrugged. "I have no idea. I guess we'll find out when I actually ask him to take me there."

Hermione interrupted. "Harry, can I come with you please? There's something I'd like to ask Vanir".

"Yeah, okay. I don't see why not. Fawkes was able to bring Luna with me yesterday so I know he can flame two at a time at least. Let me just grab my money bag in case there's a fee this time."

Harry ran off into the tent and was back shortly, with Fawkes riding on his shoulder. He walked up to Hermione and they reached for each other's hand.

Harry found Hermione's hand was just a little larger than Luna's, and her grip was slightly firmer, but it felt just as warm.

"Any last requests?" he asked the group, and only saw shaking heads. "Alright, if we're not back in 15 minutes, perhaps someone should come along and find us."

"You think I'd let you kiddies go off alone, laddie?" Moody asked, and then continued before Harry could respond. "Don't worry, I'll just apparate along and keep my eyes open while you get the job done. You'll barely know I'm there."

He looked at Hermione to check that she was ready, and then thought about what he wanted. _'Okay, Fawkes, could you take the two of us to the Swedish international portkey terminal please?'_ and imagined standing with Hermione in the spot that the Portkey had taken them to when they first arrived in Sweden.

A moment later he was there, facing the arrivals counter. Another moment after that and they heard a pop signalling Moody's arrival. He stomped off to a side wall where he could keep his eye on things.

"That's amazing, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed excitedly. "There's almost no sensation of movement at all! Thank you, Fawkes," she said, letting go of Harry's hand so that she could reach up to stroke the phoenix.

_'Yes, thank you, Fawkes.'_ Harry thought, then spoke to Hermione. "We'd better go, Hermione, we're getting some funny looks from over at the desk."

As he walked off, she took his hand again, and explained that she didn't want to risk being left behind in case Fawkes decided to flame back to the camp unexpectedly.

Walking up to the arrivals counter, they were relieved to see Vanir waiting behind it.

"Hello, Vanir." Harry said, just as Hermione said "Goddag Vanir!"

Vanir smiled at them. "Good morning, young sir. Goddag unga dam. How can I help you two?"

Hermione looked at Harry to go first.

"We were wondering if it would be possible for you to create a portkey to the main hall inside Gringotts bank for us, please. When we went there yesterday the goblins advised us that we needed to attend a… meeting with them later this morning, and we'd like to get there early."

Vanir looked at them, and then at the phoenix on his shoulder, and frowned. "Why do you not simply ask your glorious phoenix to take you?" he asked.

"Well, there are quite a few of us, and it may tire him to carry so many. We would be happy to pay if there is a fee for such a service." Harry said.

Vanir waved off the thought of a fee. "No, that won't be necessary," he sighed. There really wasn't any reason why he couldn't create another portkey for them. He just felt there was a little more to the story and he was curious. He pulled out a parchment and repeated the process he'd performed a couple of days ago. Then he handed the portkey to Harry.

"Was there anything else?" he asked politely.

Harry looked over at Hermione, wondering what she wanted to ask him.

"Yes, Vanir. I was very interested when you created the portkey, as you used a different incantation to the _'portus'_ charm that we use back home. Do you know if it is the same charm?"

Vanir nodded. "The magic is the same, it is merely the language that is different."

"How would we go about learning the Swedish incantations?" she asked.

Vanir looked surprised. "Why would you want to know that?"

Hermione froze at the question. She was a horrible liar at the best of times, and she hadn't planned on a response, since she hadn't expected to be seeing Vanir today. She'd just jumped at the chance to join Harry since he was coming here.

She decided on the truth. "Well, if we have to defend ourselves, it would give us a big advantage if our opponents didn't understand what spells we were casting at them."

"And why would you need to defend yourselves? Are you two in some kind of trouble?" he asked, becoming more alert.

Hermione looked at Harry, and he sighed when he realised what she wanted. He moved the hair off his forehead so that his scar was visible. Vanir stared at it in shock for a moment, and Harry winced. _'Even in Sweden…'_ he thought.

"I understand now." Vanir said slowly. He turned to Hermione. "Then the opponents you mentioned are…" he prompted, wanting her to provide the answer herself.

Hermione nodded. "Death Eaters," she said.

Vanir thought for a moment. "A book won't help you unless you can already speak the language. You really need a practitioner to help train you; otherwise you'll never feel confident that what you're saying is actually a spell. Belief plays a big part in successful spell casting," he said, almost to himself as he was thinking furiously while talking.

Eventually he came to a decision. "Come back and see me at lunch time tomorrow. You can buy me lunch and we will talk then."

They both thanked him, and a moment later, they disappeared in a flash, as the phoenix flamed them away. Moody looked around one last time to make sure nobody was taking any special interest in their departure, and then followed them with a pop.

Vanir spent the rest of the day distracted. His friend and colleague, Sören, watched curiously as Vanir frequently wrote things down in a fresh notebook, wondering what was going on.

~o~

As Griphook escorted the group of seven people into the conference room at ten-thirty, they were pleased to find they were the first to arrive, and took seats facing the entrance.

Griphook returned a couple of minutes later, and asked Harry to accompany him for a brief meeting. Tonks insisted on attending with him, and cited her blood relationship to Harry and his current status as a minor as sufficient reason to be included.

They left, and were back barely ten minutes later. Tonks had a big grin on her face, while Harry just looked stunned as he retook his seat next to Luna.

Seeing everyone looking at Harry, Tonks answered for him before he could say anything. "Not now. You'll find out soon enough, and we don't want to spoil the surprise when we don't know who's going to walk through those doors, okay?"

She was proven right as hardly a minute passed before one of the doors opened, and Albus Dumbledore entered the room. He was followed closely by Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Tonks winced at the sight of her boss. She'd had her leave rushed through so that she could spend some time training Harry, but she hadn't provided a reason. The odds of her being recalled to work now had just risen exponentially.

At the sight of Dumbledore, Fawkes trilled happily and flew from Harry's shoulder to fly around him before landing on his shoulder. Dumbledore appeared amazed at the sight of him, and reached up to stroke his old friend, misty-eyed.

"Fawkes. It is so very good to see you," he said softly. "I thought I'd lost you."

Fawkes continued to trill happily at their reunion, and Harry felt a pang of loss. Fawkes had only been around a little while, but he'd gotten used to him.

Luna squeezed his hand under the table, as though understanding what he would be feeling.

Dumbledore took a seat at the table and Madam Bones sat next to him. "It is very good to see you again, Harry." Dumbledore said. "If you would indulge an old man, could you please tell me how Fawkes came to be with you?"

Harry nodded. "He showed up a couple of nights ago. He was shivering, and seemed very weak for some reason. So I made him up a kind of stone bed, and heated some rocks to make sure he stayed warm. When I woke up yesterday morning… and this morning as well, come to think of it, I found him sleeping in my bed. He seems to be back to normal now."

"Albus, perhaps you can explain how he came to be in Harry's room as he did?" Minerva asked sharply.

Albus nodded. "Yes, I think that would be fair," he said, then turned to Harry. "Harry, you would recall the many devices I have in my office? Well, one of them monitors the wards at Privet Drive. When the wards were in danger of collapse two days ago, it triggered an alarm. It is that alarm that caused Fawkes to be with you."

"Why is that?" Harry asked, curious.

"Well, at the time I set the alarm, I had the wonderful idea to add a compulsion to it. That way, if for any reason I wasn't in my office at the time, the compulsion would cause whoever was in the office to try to render aid to you. I'm afraid I never considered the possibility that Fawkes might have been recovering from a burning at the time," he paused as he reached up to caress his phoenix again in apology before he continued.

"In any case, it seems that the noise and compulsion proved to be very distressing to him, as he was unable to take action to reach you. I can only assume that once I turned the alarm off, he was eventually able to recover sufficient strength as well as focus to be able to travel to you."

Dumbledore looked at him directly now. "I owe you a very great debt of gratitude for the care you provided to him, Harry. I shall not forget."

Harry waved it off. "How could I do anything else, headmaster? Fawkes saved me after the basilisk bit me, not to mention blinding it so that it couldn't just kill me on sight. I just evened up the tally a little bit."

"A _basilisk_ bit you?" Madam Bones said, joining the discussion for the first time.

Harry nodded.

Albus turned to her. "It is an exciting tale, Amelia, one that I would be very happy to recount to you when we have more time – unless Harry would prefer to tell it himself of course."

The conversation was interrupted as door opened again, and the Weasleys entered, followed by Ted and Andromeda Tonks. Molly rushed around the table to give Harry a hug, so he stood up. In the meantime, Tonks got up from her seat and headed over to her parents.

"Oh, Harry, dear, you gave us such a fright!" Molly said, as she crushed him in a smothering hug. Eventually, she released him, and the others came up to clap him on the shoulder and shake hands. Harry noticed Charlie and Percy were missing, though the rest of the family was there.

Ginny gave him a tight hug and looked up at him, as though checking something. She smiled and let him go. "You're looking good, Harry. I'm glad you didn't end up back with those bloody Dursleys!"

"Ginny!" Her mother said angrily, and Ginny winced at her tone, but she winked at Harry as if to say; _'oh well, it was worth it'_.

Harry saw the door open again, and an unknown man walked in, followed by Draco and his mother.

Harry stiffened, and then excused himself and walked over to them. He addressed himself mainly to Narcissa, since he could barely tolerate the ferret.

"Mrs Malfoy, Draco. I just want to say how sorry I am that your cousin died."

"I'll just bet you are!" Draco smirked. "Too bad for him, but–"

"Hush, Draco," his mother scolded him, before turning to Harry. "Thank you, Mister Potter. I haven't had much of an opportunity to talk with my cousin since… well, since I was married, but I did think of him fondly. I understand your loss is greater than ours, though, so I am sorry too."

Harry nodded his thanks. "Mrs Malfoy, there is something else. I just learned today that my grandmother was a Black, and that it makes us distant cousins."

He turned to Draco. "You once offered me your hand when we first met, and I rejected you. Since we're family, I would hope we could call a truce now." Harry said, and extended his hand.

Draco looked at him in disbelief. "Are you out of your mind, Scarhead? You're a half-blood, and you are certainly no family of mine! With my father temporarily detained, that makes me the Malfoy Head of House, and I declare here and now that you are no part of my family!"

There was a brief flash of magic around him at his declaration, and Draco smirked. "Consider yourself cast out, Potter!"

"Draco! You have no idea what you've just done!" His mother said coldly, wishing she wasn't in public so she could really make her displeasure known.

Harry dropped his hand back to his side and turned to Mrs Malfoy. "Well then, I'd best take my leave. Mrs Malfoy, Draco."

He walked back to his seat, ignoring the stares from everyone at the scene they'd just witnessed.

As he took his seat next to Luna, she wrapped her arms around his arm, and leaned in to his shoulder. This did not go unnoticed by the Weasleys, and the two youngest in particular gave him odd, thoughtful looks as they glanced between him, Luna, and Hermione.

The door opened again, and this time Director Ragnok entered along with Griphook and a number of goblin guards who took up stations around the room.

Everyone still standing quickly found seats, and Tonks regained her place on Harry's other side.

Without preamble, Ragnok began reading from a parchment in front of him.

"'_I, Sirius Orion Black, declare this to be my last will and testament as at the first of May, 1996. I further declare that of all my earlier wills are hereby rendered null and void. Oh wait a minute; I never got around to writing them, did I? I suppose I can scratch out that bit. Oh, bugger those damn dicta-quills! Stop writing! Stop, damn it! Cease writing! Oh, what's the bloody command, Bloody hell; _Finite Incantatum!

_'Okay. Well, luckily I still have a few more quills, but since this is the only spare bit of legal parchment I've got, I'll just have to hope that whoever is reading it had the good sense to skip that bit above so I can maintain at least a shred of dignity. Of course, if you're hearing this, they probably didn't, and I've just realised I can't even blot this out either. Oh bloody hell. Maybe I should just start again.'"_

The reading was interrupted as Harry failed to contain his laughter, and this triggered a similar response in Luna, as well as broad grins from the twins.

Ragnok paused in his reading and waited until Harry and Luna were able to control themselves before continuing.

"Sorry." Harry said, still smiling, before gesturing for Ragnok to continue.

"'_Right, well we'd best get on with it, as I'm sure that you lot, unlike me, have got busy lives to get back to. I just wish I could join you. Still, for whatever reason, I can't, and it'll be up to the majority of you to do what I can't, and that is to look after my Godson._

_'Firstly, to the Tonks. Cousin Andromeda, as much as I'd like to have restored your place in the Black family, I'm afraid that my current status as an escaped criminal prevents me from signing the paperwork. On the other hand, I've filled everything out and it just takes the signature of the next Lord Black to bring you back in to the family. Once that's done, it'll release the dowry you were denied, but should have received when you got married to Ted. You three are the closest people that Harry has to family now. I hope you'll do your best to let him know he's got a far, far better choice of relatives than those damn Muggles that Dumbledore abandoned him to._

'_Remus, my brother in all but blood. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I never got around to telling you in person how sorry I was for ever believing you could have been the spy. I'm sorry that I ever had the idea to switch secret keepers with Peter, as it cost us our friends and our family in James and Lily. I can't regret the time I spent in Azkaban as a result as I deserved it. Even though it was Peter that betrayed them to Voldemort, it was my idea to switch, and that is a debt I can never repay. Please take care of yourself, as I know, and I do mean I know that I don't have to ask you to take care of Harry for me._

'_The Weasleys. You were the family that Harry always wanted to be part of, and you generously opened your home and hearts to him. Molly, I know he looks at you and wishes he was born a Weasley some times. You're the closest thing to a mum he's ever known. Lily would be relieved to have you there to continue to look after him, but just try to give him a little space, and let him grow up a bit. I haven't had as much contact with the rest of you, but maybe a few words; Arthur, you're an excellent role model for your family, and I know Harry can learn much from you. Ron, I know you're like a brother to Harry, much as your other brothers are, especially those two Marauder wanna-be's. Have you two worked out who the Marauders are yet? Should I tell you that Harry's dad was Mr Prongs? Ginny, I know you hardly need yet another brother, but your black haired brother doesn't have any other sisters to look after._

'_The Grangers. Hermione, I don't know your parents personally, but I know them through you, from the way you have been raised to become the young woman that you have. I would like it if they were able to be Harry's guardians in the Muggle world, if he ever needs them. I know I don't need to ask you to look after Harry; you'd be incapable of doing anything else._

'_Minerva. You have the most access to Harry during the school year, more so than any of the other adults in this room. I'm charging you with his care during that time, and I'd take it as a kindness if you'd do a better job than you have so far. I don't mean this as a criticism – well, I'll correct that, I suppose I do – but I have to point the same finger at myself if I am to point it at anyone else. It is very easy to put our trust in someone else, especially when that someone else is presumably wiser and more powerful. But the sad fact is that you can't afford to trust anyone else. Believe that it is up to you and only you, and please do everything in your power to keep him safe at Hogwarts._

'_Albus. There are so many things that I want to say to you, and I expect I already have by the time you're reading this. The only advantage is; I get to have the last word this time. The problem is; I really can't say all the things in public that I'd like to! All I will say is that when you begin your next great adventure, you will have to face James, Lily and myself, and there will be an accounting then!_

'_To my cousins; Narcissa, Bellatrix and Draco. As much as I'd like to cast you out of the family, I can't do so for the same reason that I can't bring Andi back in. Still, I've completed some forms for the next Lord Black to sign, and he can take care of it for me. Cissy, I don't know whether you care for Lucius or not, but you must know that he belongs more to Voldemort than he does to you or Draco. The dark mark is permanent. If you stay with him, it's only a matter of time before both you and Draco are wearing it as well, assuming you aren't already. Amongst the other forms I've filled in, there is also one to annul your marriage if you want to sign it. If you do, then the new Lord Black will look after you. The same offer applies to your son, but there are some conditions of course, for both of you._

'_Lastly. Harry James Potter. My Godson. My cousin. My Harry. With the exception of some money I'm leaving to the others, I'm leaving everything else to you. You are, once you sign some forms, Lord Black, Head of the Noble and Ancient House of Black. Amongst the paperwork is a form for your emancipation. I recommend you agree to it and sign it as soon as you can, and when you do you should ask to have the Potters' will read. You might be a little surprised at what it contains. I know there is at least one person sitting at the table with you right now that won't be, and I expect his eyes aren't twinkling behind his bloody beard as this is read out._

_'Harry, a lot of things are done in the name of 'the greater good', and because the needs of the many are thought to outweigh the needs of the few. As I sit here I am cursing myself that I ever bought in to that doctrine. I couldn't bloody care less any more if the whole wizarding world falls to shite – you, Harry, are far more important to me than any of them, and I intend to be there waiting for you at the end of the current school term to pick you up, and we'll disappear somewhere if we need to, as I should have done in your third year._

_'I'm so sorry that I let you down, Harry. That you have to hear this means that I didn't get the chance to make it up to you. Oh well, I guess I can't do anything about that now, except give you most of my stuff. I hope that you can get some small pleasure from it. Please look after Remus for me, and do me one other favour please; pluck up your Gryffindor and tell her how you feel!_

_'Take care, Harry, and try to be a little more selfish. It's okay to think of yourself first every now and then, instead of always thinking of others.'_

"This concludes the will of Sirius Orion Black." Ragnok said, placing the parchment down, and turning to Harry. "Mr Potter, we have some paperwork for you to look through and sign."

"Wait a minute. I want to contest that will. I'm the closest male heir of Lord Black, and I should inherit the title!" Draco yelled.

"You are mistaken, young Malfoy." Ragnok replied, referring to a parchment he pulled from the small stack he'd brought with him. "Your line comes from Phineas Nigellus Black, through Cygnus Black, through Pollux Black, through another Cygnus Black, through Narcissa Malfoy. Correct?" he paused, and waited for an acknowledgement, which Narcissa gave.

"Mr Potter's genealogy is also from Phineas through to Cygnus, but from there it is through Dorea Black, through to James Potter his father. He is therefore a full generation closer to the original line than you. Not that this matters in the slightest, of course, since Sirius declared him to be the heir. Your claim is hereby rejected." Ragnok told Draco with finality.

Ragnok handed Narcissa two envelopes. "Mrs Malfoy, these are for you and your son. They outline the conditions Mr Black referred to. You may contact us if you need any clarification."

"Mother, we're leaving!" Draco said, scowling.

Narcissa looked at Harry, and inclined her head in farewell. Harry nodded in reply, and watched as they both left the room. The unknown man had already left at the end of the will reading; Harry presumed he was a representative for Bellatrix.

Ragnok walked over to where Harry sat, and Tonks left her chair so that Ragnok could take a seat next to him.

Dumbledore spoke before Ragnok. "Harry, perhaps it would be best to take some time to think things through with everyone so that we can all offer some suggestions? Some of the choices you are being offered are irrevocable, and delaying a few minutes, or an hour, or perhaps even longer in order to carefully consider everything would be a sensible decision to make."

Ragnok ignored Dumbledore and handed Harry a form. "This one–" Ragnok began.

"Wait!" Albus interrupted, before he turned to Amelia.

Madam Bones sighed then spoke. "Mister Potter, I must instruct you not to sign that form, or you will be in contempt of a Wizengamot directive. I have been ordered by the Wizengamot to take you into the care of the Ministry. As you are an underage wizard, you will become a ward of the state and cared for in a secure location. This will be under a Fidelius charm so that you cannot be found by the followers of Lord Voldemort."

"Albus!" Minerva gasped. "What are you doing? Have you lost your mind completely?"

"I had no choice, Minerva. What would you have had me do?" Albus said, sorrowfully.

"We have had that discussion already, Albus!" she replied angrily.

"If I may…" Harry said, softly, and waited for the conversations to die down around him.

"Madam Bones, as Director Ragnok will be able to confirm if required, I am no longer an underage wizard. I was emancipated before the will reading began, and therefore before even hearing of your directive. It seems to me that the directive no longer applies as I am no longer a minor, is that correct?" Harry asked.

Amelia appeared slightly relieved as she nodded her agreement.

"Amelia–" Albus began, before he was interrupted.

"No, Albus. It was bad enough trying to do this in the first place. What makes you think Fudge would let you have him? Lucius might be in Azkaban at the moment, but you're a damn fool if you think he doesn't still have influence! Your plan had at least an equal chance of seeing the boy handed over to Death Eaters for his care. At least you had sense enough to ask for me so he couldn't be 'misplaced' on the way to the Ministry, but once there, Fudge could have ordered anything. No, I'm glad your plan was foiled."

Harry just stared at the confrontation until Ragnok brought his attention back to the pile of forms that needed signing.

Harry picked up the quill he was offered and noticed with distaste that it appeared to be a blood quill. He signed the various documents where indicated, and by the end of it, he was officially Lord Black with the Black Trust under his control, and Andromeda Tonks had been brought back into the family, while Bellatrix was cast out.

"This concludes the current business relating to the will of Sirius Orion Black. We will be in touch relating to the wishes of both Narcissa Malfoy and Draco Malfoy. We will take a break before proceeding with the Potters' will, unless you would prefer to defer that for another time, Lord Black?"

"Today will be fine, Director." Harry replied. "Thank you for fitting it into your busy schedule."

Ragnok inclined his head and left the room.

"I wish you had trusted me, Harry" Dumbledore said to him sadly.

"I could say the same thing, Headmaster. How is it that you can trust a marked Death Eater, yet you have so little faith in me that you feel you have to control every last aspect of my life?"

"A Death Eater? Who are you talking about?" Madam Bones asked, interrupting the conversation as she looked from Harry to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore sighed, "I believe he is referring to Severus Snape. You are aware of my feelings on this matter already, Amelia."

She nodded, frowning.

"You still trust him?" Harry asked in disbelief.

"Are you not aware of what happened to Professor McGonagall after she visited him this week? She was stunned! If it wasn't for a portkey, who knows what could have happened. How can you possibly trust him?"

"My dear boy, I'm afraid you are not in possession of all the facts. Severus has had an unwelcome house guest. It was that person that stunned Minerva as she was about to leave. The guest felt that Severus' role as a spy for Voldemort was at risk, and that letting Minerva leave with things as they were would result in him being removed from Hogwarts against Voldemort's plans."

Albus then turned to Minerva, adopting an apologetic attitude. "The guest thought that perhaps the _Imperius_ could be used to change your mind. Severus would not have let anything happen to you, Minerva, despite the importance of his role as a spy."

Minerva considered what she'd heard, but didn't respond.

Harry scowled. "So why has Snape's guest been allowed to run around free? Why not stun this guest and turn them over to the Ministry instead? Or better yet, have Snape put him under the _Imperius_? I doubt it's the first time he's used an unforgiveable, and it would be for the Greater Good, right?"

"_Professor_ Snape, Harry. And I'm afraid that interfering with Voldemort's spy would put Severus at risk." Dumbledore replied gravely.

Just then, the door burst open, and an Auror rushed into the room, heading straight for Madam Bones. "Your house is under attack by Death Eaters!"

"Susan!" she yelled and leaped up from the chair.

Harry immediately looked straight at Fawkes, thinking of what he wanted.

Fawkes flamed away, and then flamed back into the room a few moments later with Susan Bones. She looked terrified, and was shaking, but didn't appear to have been harmed.

Amelia stared at her for a second, trying to understand how she could be standing there in front of her, and then she engulfed her niece in a hug, as Fawkes flew off her shoulder and returned to Dumbledore's.

Dumbledore stared up at Fawkes, who had started trilling a comforting melody.

Amelia released her niece and turned to Albus. "I'm going to take Susan to St Mungo's just to make sure she's fine. Thank you for sending Fawkes to get her. I'm certain you've just saved her life."

"I'm more pleased than you can imagine that she is safe and well, Amelia. But please, direct your thanks to Harry. He was faster than I at asking Fawkes for his assistance in rescuing her."

Amelia turned to Harry and simply said a very heartfelt "Thank you," before she turned and started walking out with Susan and the Auror.

"Harry, I must ask you to come with me so that we can take you to a safe location." Dumbledore said.

"Do you know where I am now?" Harry asked.

"I do not." Dumbledore admitted.

"Then why must you automatically assume that whatever you have set in place for me is safer than where I am now? I'm not the one consorting with Death Eaters, headmaster. Need I remind you how many times my life has been at risk under your so-called care?"

"Harry, I–"

"Headmaster, I think I'd prefer to have this discussion at another time. It's obvious we are not going to convince each other, and there are other people I wish to speak to today. I would ask you to please leave so that I can attend to my friends and my other business."

Dumbledore considered the request and realised he wasn't going to get anywhere at the moment. After he stood up, Minerva addressed him.

"Albus, perhaps you can take the time before Friday to place some occlumency lessons in your pensieve. It seems Severus used the sessions to abuse Harry instead of train him as you directed."

"Perhaps Severus was simply frustrated at the lack of progress? I'm sure he didn't mean his words to be truly hurtful." Dumbledore said.

Tonks exploded in rage. "You bloody-minded old fool! What Minerva meant was that your pet Death Eater mind-raped Harry! There was no training! And before you try to argue interpretation again, I saw his so-called lessons from inside Harry's mind myself! I will _kill_ that vindictive bastard when I see him, so you better keep him well away from me and Harry!"

Dumbledore paled until he looked almost as white as his beard, and he gripped the back of the chair that he'd just risen from in order to remain standing. He looked incredibly old, as the strong will that drove him evaporated.

He turned his grief-filled eyes onto Harry's, and mouthed an unheard apology, before he straightened up and slowly walked to the door.

As he walked off, Fawkes flew from his shoulder and circled the room, trilling as though trying to lift everyone's spirits slightly. But when he landed, it was on Harry's shoulder.

Dumbledore looked over at Fawkes and then nodded. _Be well, my friend,_ he thought to the phoenix softly, and then left the room.

As he watched the door close, Harry looked around to find everyone staring at him.

~o~


	19. Chapter 19: Suitors

**Thoughts of Pudding by Brian64.**

**Chapter 19: Suitors.**

_Wednesday 26th June, 1996._

Narcissa Malfoy was furious as she followed her arrogant son as he stalked away from Gringotts. Things couldn't have gone any worse.

First there was Draco's ridiculous declaration to Harry Potter. Without knowing anything, he'd instantly responded to Potter's acknowledgement of their distant family relationship by immediately severing that family connection to him. For a Slytherin, Draco was remarkably Gryffindorish in his outbursts and impulse control.

As the will reading eventually progressed to the point that Sirius stated he intended to have Bella, Draco, and even herself cast out of the family, she had unobtrusively readied her wand for the silencing and body bind spells that she expected would be needed.

Then came the words declaring that Harry Potter would be the next Lord Black, and she silently cast _Silencio_ and then _Petrificus Totalus_ on her son. If he'd begun yelling and waving his wand while Ragnok was still talking, then he'd be committing suicide-by-goblin.

Once the will reading had concluded, she'd cancelled her spells and he had, of course, immediately protested; for all the good it had done him.

As they arrived back in Malfoy manner, Draco immediately started yelling at her.

"How _dare_ you silence and bind me! Have you forgotten that I am the current Head of–" he began.

Narcissa stalked over to him and slapped his face. "Do not take that tone with me, Draco! Head of the Malfoy House? You're nothing but a petulant child! If I hadn't bound and silenced you I'd be arranging your funeral now, and some goblin guard would be collecting a bonus from their director."

Draco's face turned red and he made the mistake of reaching for his wand. Narcissa easily took it from him and pocketed it. She made a disgusted sound. "Go to your room, Draco. If you wish to continue acting like a child, then I'll treat you as one. When you're ready to behave as an adult we will have a long talk, you and I."

"When my father–"

Narcissa interrupted him. "Your stupid father is in Azkaban, and is likely to remain there for some time. Unless, of course, he is rescued by his master, in which case he is likely to be tortured extensively for his failure to overcome six children! Tell me, Draco, can you explain how _six_ children managed to hold off _twelve_ inner circle Death Eaters long enough for help to arrive?"

Draco just glared silently at her.

"No, I didn't think so. I suggest you give some serious thought to what that means."

Narcissa then handed him the envelope the goblin had given her with his name on it. "Here, take this with you to your room. Perhaps your cousin left you some good advice? Merlin knows you could use some for a change."

Draco recognised the dismissal and held out his hand for his wand. She waved him off and then turned her back on him, attention now focussed on the envelope she'd been given. She vaguely heard Draco storming off to his room in anger, and wondered which of the house elves would bear the brunt of it this time. Summoning them, she ordered them all to ignore any requests other than for food and drink, and not to punish themselves in any way. Crippled house elves couldn't work after all.

She retired to her ladies parlour, and opened her envelope. She found a letter and another sealed envelope with her name inside it.

_Cissy,_

_In case you were not able to attend the reading, here are the highlights. I've named our cousin, Harry Potter, as the next Lord Black and have left almost everything to him. You, Draco and some others will get some gold as per the Black trust, and I've asked him to bring Andi back into the family and sign the forms to cast out Bella._

_As for you and Draco, unless you are prepared to swear Harry an oath that you will not support Lord Voldemort or his followers in any way, and that you have not already taken the dark mark, then you'll both be cast out as well._

_Yes, Cissy, that means you'll have to leave Lucius, since he is a follower. I'm sorry, but he gave himself to Voldemort when he was branded, and his loyalty is always going to be to him first. If you stay with him, you'll end up branded, or worse, just as your son will be._

_Enclosed is a form to annul your marriage; it will just take your signature and Harry's. You can trust Harry. He will take his responsibilities as Lord Black seriously, including looking after you both. Leave Malfoy. Become a Black again. You know you have a sister that would welcome you back._

_Just in case you're hesitating now because you are thinking of following Voldemort yourself, let me ask you something; why would you, or anyone, want to follow him? Do you even know what he is really fighting for? If you said 'blood purity', then you're not even close! Do you want to know why?_

_Voldemort's father was a Muggle._

_That's right; the supposed champion of purebloods is a bloody half-blood himself. He was born Tom Marvolo Riddle, and if you rearrange the letters, they read 'I am Lord Voldemort', the name he gave himself to hide his origins. _

_The fact remains that any 'pure blood' he had left in him from Slytherin's line is well and truly gone. It was Harry's blood, his Muggle father's bone, and Pettigrew's flesh that he used to restore himself to a body._

_So what do you suppose his intentions really are? Do you really think he values purebloods given his own blood status, or is he just using them to achieve his own objectives? _

_Isn't it far more likely that he considers purebloods to be merely sheep? Yes, sheep that he will fleece of their gold, and then send off to possible slaughter to satisfy his own hatred of everyone and lust for power. Purebloods are just tools to him, and he will spill their blood as easily as he would any Muggle's if they cross him. You know I'm right; just think of all the purebloods he killed the first time around._

_Cissy, the choice is yours. I hope you make the right one._

_Sirius._

_PS. Try to control your son. Sooner or later he is going to do something stupid to one of Harry's friends, and Harry will respond. You might want to remind Draco that Harry has already faced Voldemort several times, and he came out ahead or even every single time._

Narcissa read the letter in shock; trying to deny what she was reading. Reading it a second time didn't make it much easier to accept.

The question that ran through her head was; _'could this all be true?'_

After the third reading, the question became; _'what am I going to do now?'_

Summoning a house elf to bring her parchment, a quill, and ink, she sat down to write a letter to her estranged sister.

~o~

As the door closed, Harry braced himself for the inevitable tirade from Mrs Weasley. He wasn't kept waiting long.

"Harry James Potter! How dare you talk to the headmaster like that? I can't believe you could be so rude to him after all he's done. Well, what do you have to say for yourself, young man?" Molly demanded.

Harry forced himself to stay seated, and closed his eyes, counting backwards from ten in the hope that he could control his anger at her outburst. He must have tensed up because Luna was squeezing his arm a little tighter to offer him her support.

"Well? I'm still waiting!"

It was no use. She obviously could only see him as a naughty child, undeserving of being treated as a young adult. He opened his eyes and looked at her, trying not so show how much her current attitude hurt him.

"Mrs Weasley. I want to thank you. Sirius got it spot-on with what he said, and I really do appreciate everything you've done for me, and how you've cared about me."

Her face softened and she dropped her glare. "You're very welcome dear," she said, before reminding herself that he hadn't answered her questions. "But you still haven't answered–"

Arthur's hand on her arm interrupted her tirade. "Later, Molly," he murmured to her, adding in a whisper "He's just heard Sirius' will."

Molly's eyes started to glisten as she remembered, and she quickly bustled around the table so that she could wrap Harry in another hug. She settled for cradling his head to her as he had remained seated, unable to get up due to the tight grip Luna had on him.

Arthur intervened, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder in silent support before dragging Molly over to Bill, to give their younger children a chance to talk to him before they all had to leave.

Fred and George started a mock-whispered conversation between themselves.

"Do you think we should go over and say hello?" Fred asked his twin.

"I dunno, he's looking all 'lordly' now. I'm scared." George replied, looking over at Harry and immediately turning his head in mock horror at being noticed, and bringing a hand up to hide his face.

"I think he saw you!" Fred hissed to his twin. "You're done for! Caught looking at His presence without permission! You'll be in Azkaban before the day is out!" Fred insisted.

"But I'm too young and good-looking!" George wailed. "Perhaps if I threw myself on his mercy and offered him my virtue he'd let me off with a warning?"

"You could try, I suppose…" Fred said doubtfully. "Come on then."

They got up and walked slowly over to Harry, bowing in ever increasing extravagance as they got closer. Then both dropped to their knees in front of his chair with heads bowed.

"Our most goodly and wise Lord Black…" Fred began.

"Don't forget merciful!" George hissed at him.

"Yes of course, what was I thinking?"

"I don't know, were you thinking?

Fred thought, finger on chin. "Well I think I was, doesn't that count?"

George shook his head "No, I keep telling you to leave the thinking to me, you've never been all that good at it!"

"Are you gits almost finished?" Harry said, laughing at their antics.

Fred turned to his brother and shrugged "Yeah, I'm good; how about you?"

George shrugged back "It's a blow to have to stop now, but we better not keep his lordliness waiting."

The two jumped up from the floor, and then crowded onto his lap, taking a knee each.

"So Harrikins…"

"Lord Harrikins that is…"

"Yes, Lord Harrikins…"

"We were wondering…"

"If you'd consider us…"

"For the role of…

"Lady Black!" they said, alternating between themselves until the last, which they said together.

Harry continued laughing. "Sorry guys, but I don't think I could choose between you, and it wouldn't be fair to the other one."

"That's not a problem, Lord Harrikins, I'd be Lady Black…" Fred said.

"And I'd be Lady Pot… No wait! I want to be Lady Black. You can be Lady Potter!"

"Are you mad? Do I look like I could be a Potter with this complexion? I'm clearly meant to be a Black! You on the other hand…"

"Oh, ho! Well isn't that the Potter calling the kettle Black?"

"What does that even mean?"

"I have no idea, but it sounded really good! So we're agreed that I'm going to be Lady Potter then?"

"I thought I was going to be? You can be Lady Black…"

"I changed my mind. Lady George Potter sounds much better…"

"But–" Fred began, before being interrupted.

"If I can steal you away from your suitors for a minute, Harry, I'd like to introduce you to my parents." Tonks said, smirking.

Fred and George hopped off Harry's knees.

"Well, we can see when we're not wanted…"

"What blasphemy is that? We're always wanted!"

"Well, that's true! Wow, smart and good-looking; you're going to make an excellent Lady Potter"

"Alright, Lord Harrikins, we'll negotiate our dowry later."

"Come see us at the shop, we've got lots to discuss!" Fred said, taking on a serious tone for the first time.

Harry nodded at them. "I'll do that as soon as I can. Thanks for the laughs."

"We have no idea what you mean, do we, George?"

"Nope, not a clue, Fred," His brother said, giving Harry a quick wink.

They both walked off, arguing loudly over what should be included in their dowry.

Harry turned to Luna and gestured for her to join him with Tonks. As they stood up and walked over with her to meet Ted and Andromeda, Ron and Ginny joined Hermione.

Ginny gave Hermione a hug and got straight to the point. "So, Harry and Luna huh? They're really together, then?"

Hermione nodded. "Since Monday."

Ginny shook her head. "Two days… She sits next to him Saturday night and eats some of his pudding, and by Monday she's landed him. How the hell did that happen?" she asked her friend.

Hermione shrugged, not knowing what to say. She knew Ginny had had a crush on Harry for years, but had thought she'd gotten over it after she started dating Michael Corner.

Ginny gave her friend a shrewd look. "So how are things with you, Hermione?"

Hermione shrugged again, not really knowing what Ginny was looking for. "Things are fine, I think."

Ron frowned. What do you mean by, 'you think,' Hermione?"

Hermione looked between them. "We've had to be very careful about where we are and what we're doing. We can't afford for Harry to be snatched and forced back to the Dursleys', so we all get obliviated before we leave where we're living. That's why I can't tell you anything, since I don't remember much about what we're currently doing at the moment."

Ron snorted. "You sound as paranoid as old Mad-Eye."

Ginny slapped his arm. "Idiot! Weren't you listening during the will reading, or did you fall asleep during the part where Dumbledore was trying to get Madam Bones to force Harry into Ministry custody?"

Ron was silent, but looked thoughtful.

"What can we do to help?" Ginny asked.

"You should find a way to train up during the holidays. See if you can get together with Neville and the twins, and practice what you learned in the DA."

"Is that what you're doing? Training?" she asked.

"I assume so. We came with Tonks and Professor's McGonagall and Lupin, so I can only assume they're training us. Why else would we be with them?"

Ginny looked thoughtful. "Alright, I'll owl Neville and see if I can't get the other DA members to spend some time practicing over summer as well. How can we get in touch with you if we need to ask you anything?"

"Send a message via Gringotts. We'll check with them from time to time when we can."

Ginny nodded, and studied Hermione for a minute. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I thought sooner or later…"

Hermione nodded. "Look after yourselves, and at least practice your wand movements. Things have started happening again. They blew up a bridge on Monday, and now they've attacked Madam Bones' home. I hope Susan is okay…"

"I'm sure she's fine," Ginny replied. "She didn't look too bad, and… well, it didn't look as though anything had happened to her."

Hermione agreed. The fact that Susan was alive and still dressed was a fair indication that she'd escaped whatever might have happened to her.

Harry and Luna wandered over, having finished meeting Tonks' parents. "Hey," he said, a little awkwardly.

"Hey, Harry." Ginny replied, giving him a mischievous smile. She guessed what he was nervous about, and wasn't about to make it easy for him.

"Umm, I guess you know my girlfriend, Luna…"

Ginny swatted him, "Prat! Of course we know Luna. What we don't know is how you ended up together."

"Well, Luna managed to get rid of the wrackspurts that had been affecting me." Harry said, a small smile appearing as he recalled the memory of asking her to be his girlfriend.

Ron stared at him in disbelief, and then looked accusingly at Luna, before gaping back at Harry, not knowing how to respond.

Ginny just giggled at her brother's reaction. "Brilliant, Harry!"

"But she's turned him as loony as she is!" Ron said accusingly, annoyed at feeling as though everyone was laughing at him.

"Watch it, Ron!" Harry warned him, giving his friend a stern look.

"Sorry, Luna" Ron said shortly. He was still annoyed, but realised he shouldn't have said anything against Harry's girlfriend. That was an unwritten _mate's law_; you didn't say anything bad like that in case they forgot to stand up for their girl. It'd get your mate in trouble with her and cause problems between them.

"Listen, I hate to cut things short, but I really have to get this other will reading out of the way. I also want to go and check how Susan is doing, and I don't know how long they're going to be at St Mungo's." Harry said.

"Why don't you see her first then? It sounds as though the goblins won't mind waiting." Ron said.

Harry thought about it, and nodded. "I'll ask Ragnok and see what he says. Good idea, Ron. Listen, I'll try and owl you when I can, but I don't really know how easy that's going to be. I don't even know where we are at the moment."

They both nodded their understanding, and Ginny said, "We know, Hermione told us. Ok, take care, you lot. Don't forget about us."

Ginny exchanged hugs with the three easily enough, though Ron was a lot more awkward with both of the girls than he was a few days ago. He was relieved when it was time to shake Harry's hand.

A few minutes later the Weasleys had all left, and it was just the original seven in the conference room, as Tonks' parents had already left after meeting Harry.

Harry told them about wanting to visit Susan to check that she was okay, and Ron's idea of doing it before the Potters' will was read.

Minerva asked the obvious question. "Why don't you ask Fawkes to take you? You could be there and back in only a few minutes."

Tonks interrupted "That's fine, but I'm going with you."

She turned to the blonde witch next to him. "Sorry, Luna, but I need to make sure your boyfriend makes it back without any problems."

Luna smiled at her and gave Harry a kiss before releasing his arm and holding his hand out to Tonks.

Tonks grinned and took it. "C'mon Harry. Let's get this over with. I'm looking forward to getting back to… well, getting my memories back, that's for damn sure."

A few seconds later they appeared in the Dai Llewellyn ward at St Mungo's.

"What are we doing here?" Tonks asked Harry.

"This is the place I remember the most. Mr Weasley was brought here after he was bitten." Harry explained.

"Well, come on, we'll need to check in at the front desk to find out where Susan is. She might have been seen and left already."

They hurried down a flight of stairs and approached the enquiries desk.

"Yes?" The welcome-witch asked with a sigh, sounding bored as she flipped through a battered copy of _Witch Weekly_.

"We're looking for Susan Bones. She would have arrived not long ago to be checked by a healer." Harry said politely.

"Fourth floor, spell damage," the witch told them without looking up.

"Thank you. Come on Tonks, we'd better hurry. No telling how long they've been–" Harry stopped talking as they suddenly appeared in front of the healer's station on the fourth floor.

"Bloody hell, Harry. I'm amazed that Dumbledore ever bothered to walk anywhere, ever! Thanks, Fawkes." Tonks said, directing the last to the phoenix.

"I guess Fawkes must have been here before…" Harry mused, looking up at the phoenix. He was clearly far more intelligent than any bird had a right to be. Then again, Hedwig was no slouch either.

Focussing back on the task at hand, he addressed the witch behind the desk. "Susan Bones?" Harry asked.

"She's just finishing her exam in room 2. The initial scan looked fine, Mr Potter, so the healer should be out soon."

Harry looked at her amazed. "How did you know who I was?"

The witch gave him a wry grin. "Everyone knows who you are, Mr Potter. Your picture has been in the _Prophet_ ever since the Tri-Wizard Tournament, after all."

"Auror Tonks? Lord Black?" said a voice behind them.

Harry turned around to see that Amelia Bones had come out from behind a screened off examination room.

"I thought I heard your voices. Are you here to see Susan? Yes, of course you are, why else would you be here… Sorry. I'm just a little distracted after the close escape Susan had."

Amelia walked up and gave a very surprised Harry a tight hug.

"Thank you again! Susan said that without the training you gave her, she'd never have been able to hold them off for as long as she did before Fawkes arrived. As it is, she was about to pass out from magical exhaustion." Amelia released Harry and stepped back to look at him. "It doesn't look as though any spells made it through, but she'll be able to tell you that herself in a minute."

She turned to Tonks. "Auror, I understand you are on leave at present?"

"Yes, Madam Bones." Tonks replied, thinking to herself, _'I knew it!'_

"Well, I'm afraid I have to recall you to active duty immediately. These are troubled times, and I need your skills as a bodyguard to protect a VIP."

Tonks winced. "Isn't there anyone else you could use? Please, I really need my leave at the moment."

Amelia frowned. "Perhaps I misunderstood. Very well, I'll see if I can find another bodyguard for Lord Black."

"Umm, perhaps if I could have a word with Auror Tonks, I might be able to convince her to return to work and look after me." Harry said with a smile.

"I'm sorry, I thought you wanted me to look after S– someone else" Tonks said sheepishly. "I'd be happy to take on the assignment. Thank you, Madam Bones."

Tonks turned to Harry and whispered something to him. Amelia smiled as she thought she heard her say something about getting him back for being a git.

"You're welcome, Auror Tonks. Do try to stay in touch every now and again if you can. For now, you are indefinitely assigned to Lord Black."

They all turned at the sound of the curtain being drawn aside and then closed again, as an old healer coming out of the exam room. She walked over to Madam Bones. "Your niece is perfectly fine. She's just had a nasty scare, and is suffering from some magical exhaustion. Nothing a good rest won't cure."

"So she's okay?" Amelia said, half question, half statement as though to reassure herself.

The healer chuckled at the reaction she'd seen so many times before, and reaching over, patted Amelia's hands. "She may need a calming draught later, or a dreamless sleep potion tonight, but I'd see how she goes without them. You can leave anytime. Good day to you," she said, smiling at them before she left to continue her rounds.

"Auntie?" Susan called from exam room, before she stepped around the curtain and saw her other visitors. "Harry!" she said, running over to him to give him a tight hug.

"Hey, Susan!" Harry said, trying not to enjoy the hug too much. "I'm glad to hear you're okay."

"Thanks to you I am. If it wasn't for what you taught us in the DA, I'd never have been able to hold out as long as I did. I even managed to stun one of them!" she said, pulling back from the hug.

"You did? That's fantastic! Well done, Susan." Harry congratulated her.

She shrugged. "It didn't do any good, they just rennervated him a few seconds later."

Harry nodded with a slight frown. The same thing had happened during the Ministry battle as well.

Susan looked at him a little shyly. "So, Harry, how long have you had a phoenix?"

"Huh? I don't have one. I mean… this is the headmaster's phoenix, Fawkes. He's been staying with me for a couple of days. I'm not sure how long he's going to stick around for." Harry replied.

"Well, Auntie says you sent him to get me as soon as you heard her call my name, so you saved me."

She stepped back close to him and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you, Harry," she said seductively, giving him a serious kiss before stepping back and smiling.

"Uh, you're welcome Susan." Harry said, a little dazed and confused before he shook himself out of it.

"Come on, Susan," Amelia said, finishing her conversation with Tonks. "We've got to make some floo calls, and I need to see if Tom has any rooms free at the Leaky Cauldron."

Susan nodded sadly.

Amelia turned to Harry. "It was good to meet you again. Auror Tonks, please look after Lord Black."

Tonks ruffled Harry's hair. "Don't worry; I'll keep him out of trouble. Thanks for the assignment."

Susan put it together. "You're Lord Black now?" she asked, sounding surprised.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, but I really wish people would just call me Harry though," he said, looking at Madam Bones.

"Come on, Harry, time to go!" Tonks said grabbing his hand again.

"Bye Harry. Thank you! Bye Auror Tonks. Bye Fawkes." Susan said. Amelia waved her farewells.

Tonks led him off to the exit out of habit, forgetting that they could just flame back to Gringotts, while Harry was thinking about the recent conversation.

"Hey, Tonks. Why was Madam Bones wondering whether there were rooms available at the Leaky Cauldron?"

"Well, they'll need somewhere to stay, Harry. The Death Eaters probably torched their place. At the very least there'll be a lot of damage from spell fire, and the wards would have been destroyed as well. In any case it wouldn't be safe to live in for a while, even if it is still standing. Who knows what traps those Death Eaters would have left behind?"

"What?" Harry said, stopping dead in his tracks. "So you're saying they've got nowhere to live now?"

As Tonks sadly nodded her agreement, he turned around and jogged back to Amelia and Susan, who looked surprised at his return.

"I've got a place you can stay at if you want," he blurted out. "It was my godfather's house, and I'm not using it. It's got plenty of space. It's even under a Fidelius charm, so you'll be perfectly safe there!"

Amelia just stared at him, then looked to Tonks, who shrugged and then nodded.

"Well then… I'd say you have a couple of houseguests for a while. Thank you, Harry. Who is the Secret Keeper?"

Harry frowned. "I don't know who the Secret Keeper is," he said, then turned to Tonks. "Do you know?"

Tonks shook her head, thought for a moment, and then frowned. "Not only that, I don't even know where the house is myself now! Do you still remember?"

Harry thought about it, and nodded.

Tonks looked surprised for a moment then her eyes widened as something occurred to her. She leaned in closer to him. "Can you whisper the address to me?" she asked.

Harry did so. "My house is located at Number 12, Grimmauld Place."

Tonks laughed. "That's it, I remember again! That means you must be the Secret Keeper, Harry. It must have switched to you after the change of ownership following the will reading. See, those blood quills are good for something after all!"

Harry gave her a wry smile. "Yeah, maybe they are, but don't go buying me a box for Christmas just yet, alright?"

He walked over and whispered the address to both Amelia and Susan in turn.

"Okay, I really need to get back now. Please make yourself at home there."

"Harry, what about Kreacher?" Tonks asked.

"What about him?" Harry said, coldly, frowning at the thought of the horrid House Elf.

"Well, you probably should tell him about the new guests. Just summon him here to you and give him some orders." Tonks told him.

"Alright, Tonks." Harry said, then straightened up and called out angrily. "Kreacher!"

The old house elf appeared, muttering and grumbling about nasty half-bloods, and how he would much rather serve purebloods like Narcissa.

"Be quiet, Kreacher, unless you are asked a question! Do you know who I am?" Harry asked coldly. This old elf was involved in Sirius' death, and he had absolutely no sympathy for him.

"Harry Potter is Kreacher's Master, and Kreacher must obey him even if he is a filthy half-blood."

"That's right, Kreacher. So, from now on, I forbid you to comment on anyone's blood status unless you are directly asked a question about it. That means you are forbidden to ever use the word mudblood, or refer to someone as a blood traitor. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Master Black. Kreacher must obey."

"Good. These ladies here are Amelia Bones, and Susan Bones. They will be staying at the house. You will prepare rooms for them, and assist them with anything they need, including meals. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Master Black. Kreacher understands. Kreacher will be glad to look after Master's guests, such good and noble… witches." Kreacher looked as though he'd mouthed the word 'pureblood', but couldn't disobey his new orders.

Harry ignored his comments. "I also want you to clean the house up when you're not helping them. It was a disgrace the last time I saw it! Are you able to do it yourself, or do you need more elves to help?"

"Master doesn't need other elves, no he doesn't. Kreacher is old but he can still work hard. Kreacher will clean, yes he will–"

"We'll see, Kreacher." Harry said, interrupting the elf as something else occurred to him. "Kreacher, is the portrait of Sirius' mother still on the wall?"

"Yes, Master Black."

"Very well, in that case I am giving her to you as a gift. You are to take the portrait from the wall, and fix it to the wall in your quarters. Do you understand?"

Kreacher began to sob in gratitude as he nodded his agreement.

"Enough, Kreacher. Return to the house now and prepare rooms for my guests. Wait! Is there enough food in the house? Are you able to purchase more when required?"

"Kreacher is a Black family house elf and can buy anything in Master Black's name. Anything Master wants Kreacher can get for him." Kreacher said, bowing low to Harry.

"Very well, Kreacher. I require that my guests are well looked after, and you will purchase anything they need, including clothes, books, potions… _anything_. Understand?"

"Master is very clear in his orders. Old Kreacher understands."

"Alright, Kreacher, then I think that is all for now. Is there anything that I need to know?"

"Kreacher thinks Master should find another home for the Hippogriff." Kreacher looked alarmed as he said that, and looked around for something to punish himself with. Finding nothing, he prepared to run into the nearest wall for his audacity.

"Kreacher! I forbid you to punish yourself. Now, go and prepare the rooms for my guests. I'll decide what to do about the Hippogriff later. Ensure it is fed and looked after until I do."

The house elf bowed low again before disappearing.

Tonks was looking at him with a concerned look on her face. "Are you okay, Harry? You looked like you wanted to murder that elf at one point."

"It's partly his fault that Sirius is dead." Harry said, miserably. "I tried to contact Sirius that night… Hermione thought I should verify the vision, but when I tried to call him, Kreacher lied to me and told me that Sirius had left. Seeing him again just brought it all back"

"Sorry, Harry. I hadn't heard about that." Tonks said, giving him a hug.

"Not your fault, Tonks." Harry said. "Anyway, we'd better be getting back. We've been gone a lot longer than we thought. I'm almost surprised they haven't sent a search party after us."

He turned to Amelia and Susan who were both still staring at him. "Just get Kreacher to bring you anything you need, okay? I don't know when I'll get a chance to visit, but I expect you can probably order Kreacher to deliver a message to me if you really need me for anything. Well, Tonks and I have to go. Bye for now."

He and Tonks vanished as the phoenix flamed them away.

"Oh, bugger!" Susan exclaimed, shaking herself out of the daze she'd been in. "I didn't even get to give him a goodbye hug."

"Probably just as well, Suse." Amelia replied, amused, after shaking off her own stupor. "From what I could see at Gringotts, he's already got a girlfriend."

"Oh, bugger!" she said again, and let out a resigned sigh. "So Hermione finally woke up, did she? Or did Ginny get tired of waiting for him to notice her?"

"I don't know her name. It was a blonde girl," her aunt replied.

_'Blonde?'_ Susan thought to herself. _'Surely not Lavender? Who else could–'_ Then she remembered the leaving feast, and seeing the Ravenclaw unexpectedly over at the Gryffindor table. "Luna?"

~o~

It was a subdued group that portkeyed back to their camp at Näshultasjön later that afternoon.

After Moody had restored everyone's memories, the new arrivals set about making themselves some sandwiches for lunch. Moody and the Grangers had already had theirs earlier, and Hermione's parents had decided to take a walk by the lake.

As they ate, the others had been filling Moody in on what had happened, including the reported attack on the Bones' residence. He scowled at that.

"What is it, Alastor?" Remus asked.

"You don't think the timing is a little suspicious? Bones has some time off to be with her niece, and would normally be at home – except she gets called to attend a will reading. You tell me, is that coincidence?"

Remus looked thoughtful, as did many others.

Moody continued. "Who do you suppose knew that Bones wouldn't be home?"

"Surely you're not suggesting that Albus would have…" Minerva said. "No. No, I can't believe it."

"Grow up, Minerva!" Moody said shortly. "Like it or not, this is war. Let's suppose for a moment that Snape warned him that Voldemort was going to strike at Bones, since she's the head of the MLE. What does he do about it? If Bones simply goes into hiding, then Voldemort knows that he has a spy."

"So he arranges with Snape for Bones to be attacked during the will reading." Remus said. "That makes sense."

"_Makes sense?_ Are you mad? What about Susan?" Harry yelled angrily.

Remus flinched a little at Harry's tone but replied "I suspect she was meant to visit with some friends, Harry. Look, we're just guessing here. We don't know that Dumbledore had any involvement in the attack."

"Well, this _stinks_ of his involvement, and it sounds _exactly_ like something he'd do 'for the Greater Good', I'm sure! Just like everything else. Just like the bloody Dursleys!" Harry shouted angrily, before jumping up and walking quickly off in the direction of the lake.

Hermione got up and chased after him, catching up to him not long afterwards.

A few heads turned to look at Luna, who just smiled. "Hermione knows what he's been through better than I do. She'll be able to help him best this time."

Moody frowned at the group. "There's more to the story than what you've told me so far. What else happened today?"

Remus and Minerva looked at each other as though trying to work out who would answer, but it was Tonks that replied.

"After we got back from St Mungo's, Ragnok read the Potters' will. It seems nobody ever told Harry that since he was the last Potter, he could have been emancipated years ago, and been living in one of the Potter houses as Lord Potter."

Moody grunted. "Well, that would have got him away from the Dursleys sooner. No wonder he's pissed."

"That's not the half of it. The will listed a whole bunch of people that were supposed to look after him if Sirius couldn't. He was never supposed to go to the Dursleys' house at all." Remus said reluctantly.

Moody growled again. "Stop pissing about and just tell me– No wait, it's obvious isn't it? Dumbledore sent him to the Dursleys', and he could have only done that if the will wasn't read, which means he had it sealed by the Wizengamot. But he wouldn't have known what was in it unless he was a witness to it!"

Remus nodded. "Right, on all counts."

Nobody spoke for a minute, until Tonks broke the silence.

"It gets worse…"

~o~

Harry had to get away from the group before he said or did something he shouldn't. He needed to calm down, and a walk around the lake would help.

A hand grabbed his, and he looked in surprise to find it was Hermione's.

She didn't say anything, just walked with him, so he gave her hand a small squeeze in thanks.

After a while, the peaceful surroundings and company had worked their magic on him, and his rapid walking had become a gentler stroll.

"It's not fair," he said softly.

"No, Harry, it's not."

"I could have grown up with Tonks, you know. Can you imagine what that would have been like?" he said, a smile appearing on his face.

"She'd have been a lot of fun, I expect." Hermione said, a ghost of a smile working its way onto her face as well. "If you'd ended up with Neville, you'd have grown up with a brother, or if it was Madam Bones, then Susan would have been like a sister."

Harry looked embarrassed. "She kissed me," he blurted out.

Hermione couldn't help herself and laughed at him. "I can't imagine why! After all, you only saved her life."

Harry smiled back. "Yeah, I guess. I'm just not really used to it, you know?"

"I know, Harry." Hermione replied. Then she got a sly grin on her face. "I wouldn't go telling the twins that Susan kissed you though, they might get jealous!"

Harry laughed, and then got a sly look of his own. "Really, Parv and Pad jealous? Hmm… interesting…"

Hermione bumped him with her shoulder. "Funny guy. You don't fool me. I know you're mad keen on Luna."

Harry smiled at her for a minute and then his smile dropped and they walked in silence for a few minutes.

"Luna is great…" Harry began.

"Yes, she is." Hermione agreed.

They walked on in silence a little longer.

"You know, Sirius was a real prankster." Harry began again, taking a different approach.

Hermione smiled. "Yes he was; a real marauder."

"His will really cracked me up, you know. I can just imagine him arguing with a quill like that, can't you?" Harry asked, smiling again.

Hermione nodded. "I think he did it on purpose though, just to cheer you up."

"You're probably right. Either way, it was brilliant. He was brilliant. I should have been able to grow up with him."

Hermione nodded in agreement, and squeezed his hand.

"He really liked you, you know." Harry said.

Hermione wasn't sure how to respond. "I liked him too, Harry. I know he adored you."

Harry nodded. "You know… at the end of the will… he was talking about you." Harry was looking ahead now, not game to look at Hermione if he wanted to get this out.

Hermione held her breath for a minute, and when Harry didn't say anything else she broke the silence. "Are you sure he wasn't talking about Ginny?" she asked him.

She watched as Harry shook his head.

"No, he knew I didn't have those kinds of feelings for her. Don't you remember what he wrote?" he asked, looking at her now.

Hermione thought back to the will reading. "Something about her 'black haired brother not having any other sisters to look after'?" she asked.

"Yep, that's it." Harry said, waiting for her to form the conclusion.

Hermione nearly stumbled when she reached it. If Harry had feelings for her that weren't brotherly, then didn't that mean they were romantic? It was one thing for Luna to tell her Harry loved her, but quite another for Harry himself to be holding her hand, walking with her and hinting at it.

"S-so. Sirius thought you had romantic feelings for me then?" she asked.

"No, he didn't think that." Harry said softly.

Hermione's heart felt like it had just skipped a beat.

"He knew I had those feelings for you. He was the one that explained it to me." Harry said.

Hermione couldn't help herself, and pulled Harry around and wrapped her arms tightly around him. Harry's own arms wrapped around her, and she relished the feeling. They'd hugged before as friends, but this felt different somehow. She was holding her man, and he was holding her.

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner. I… I really messed this up," he said, whispering to her.

"Shush, Harry. It doesn't matter," she said, trying to shut him up so she could just enjoy the feeling. She knew it wouldn't last long.

"Hermione…"

_No! It's too soon,'_ she thought

"Hermione… I don't know what to do. I really care for you, but I'm with Luna now, and I have feelings for her as well. Sometimes I think she's the only one that really understands me," he said apologetically, and released his grip on her.

He looked at her as she released her grip as well and stepped back. "But there are parts of me that only you know as well."

She was torn between wanting to support his desire to stay faithful to Luna, and wanting to kiss him senseless and make him choose her. She reached up to him and kissed his cheek.

"I'll always be your friend, Harry, no matter what. But, if you ever want me as more than a friend… you can talk to me about it."

_'I wonder if his friendship will be enough now that I know?'_ she wondered.

After he nodded, she took his hand again and they kept walking, lost in their thoughts.

A little while later, she felt Harry tense up, and he stopped moving. He drew his wand, and she released his hand so she could take her own.

She looked around cautiously, trying to work out what had alerted him. Then she thought she heard a sound herself coming from somewhere up ahead. They crept towards the sound, alert for trouble, when all of a sudden they heard her mother's voice quite clearly cry out. "_Oh, Dan!_"

Her tone left no doubt what her parents were doing in the bushes.

Harry turned bright red, and he quickly sent a silencing charm off in the direction of the voice so that they couldn't hear any more. Then they both quietly moved away, heading back to camp a lot faster than they had approached.

"If anyone asks, we took the other path, okay?" he said eventually, once they'd put some distance between themselves and Hermione's parents. When he didn't get a reply, he looked over at Hermione to find her shaking.

"What is it?" he asked her, worried.

She looked at him, and then started laughing loudly, unable to keep it in any longer. That set Harry off, and he laughed along with her as they continued their walk back to the camp.

~o~


	20. Chapter 20: Understandings

**Thoughts of Pudding by Brian64.**

**Chapter 20: Understandings.**

_Wednesday 26th June, 1996._

Hermione pondered how closely the words 'kiss' and 'curse' sounded phonetically as she walked alongside Harry. Glancing sideways at him, she decided that it was all his fault that she wanted to _'kirse'_ him so badly.

After their laughter had subsided following the totally unwanted revelation that her parents hadn't stopped having sex after her conception, she and Harry had fallen into silence as they walked back. Sure, they'd been mostly silent on the walk out as well, but that was different; she'd been at peace then.

Now her thoughts were in turmoil again and she hated feeling so confused. It was past time she did something about it, and besides, Luna had said they needed to talk about it.

"Since Christmas." Harry said, interrupting her thoughts.

"Sorry, what?" Hermione said, staring at him. Was he a bloody Legilimens now?

"When we were at Grimmauld Place over Christmas. That's when Sirius and I talked about you and he set me straight about… a few things. That's what you wanted to know, wasn't it?" he asked her in a guarded tone.

"That was one of them," she agreed, staying outwardly calm. Inside she was screaming at him. _'Christmas? Christmas! You total prat! Why didn't you say anything before–'_

"I didn't say anything because it kinda got lost in everything else that was going on." Harry said, having correctly guessed her thoughts again. Then she saw him wince, and realised she hadn't kept her opinion of his choice of words hidden from her expression at all.

"Look, I'm not saying that it wasn't important, it's just… I was worried about Mr Weasley, you know? It didn't help that Sirius was getting more upset the closer it got to us heading back to school, and then of course there was Snape and his announcement about Dumbledore wanting me to learn Occlumency from him. Then when I got back, Cho was there, and…" Harry paused, as he thought back to that time, and shook his head at his own idiocy.

"Well, it isn't a good reason, but I kinda thought Ron was interested in you, and I didn't want to get in the way. Besides, I didn't know if you fancied me back at all, and I got really hung up on the idea that Cho seemed to like me," he finished, a little defensively.

Hermione sighed. There was a certain 'Harry logic' to it, and she supposed she couldn't blame him. She remembered dragging Ron away to the library so that he and Cho could have some privacy. The realisation suddenly hit her that it really was all her own fault.

She'd done the same thing as Harry, and just assumed that he wanted someone else and then stepped back to let it happen. She couldn't help but wonder if things would have been different if she'd said anything.

"I understand, Harry. Just one last question though. If I hadn't dragged Ron off, and had said I'd wanted to go to Hogsmeade with you after Cho did, what would you have done?"

Harry looked at her as though she'd grown a second head, but answered gently. "Hermione, you _did_ tell me you wanted to see me at Hogsmeade, remember? Who did I choose?"

Hermione had forgotten about meeting up with Harry, Luna and Rita Skeeter for the interview. But she remembered now, and also remembered talking to him about the argument he'd had with Cho as a result. He had chosen her over Cho, and Cho certainly understood what it meant when a boy left his date to see another girl, whatever the reason.

Hermione became depressed as she thought it through. He had chosen to be with her instead of his pretty girlfriend, and she'd done absolutely nothing about it. Why the hell hadn't she snogged the hell out of Harry after she'd heard that? Instead, she'd just lectured him on all the things he'd done wrong and what he should have done instead.

She felt Harry's thumbs brushing the tears from her cheeks, and she wrapped her arms around him, and hugged him close. She rested her cheek on his shoulder, facing the lake and looking away from him.

"I'm sorry, Harry. It's entirely my fault. If I'd just said something–" she began.

"If you'd said something, I'd still have found a way to misinterpret it or stuff it up. Maybe we just weren't ready for each other then?"

"And now that we are, it's too late," she said simply, and wasn't surprised when Harry didn't reply.

She held him for a while longer, content that he was happy enough to let her do so while she straightened out her thoughts. Eventually she pulled back a bit so that she could look at his face again. She leaned back in and gave him a soft kiss on the lips before stepping back from his hug.

"Harry, you are just going to have to deal with the fact that I'm going to be your best friend no matter what, and that your best friend loves you. Do you think you can handle that? I don't want there to be any awkwardness between us around your girlfriend like there has been over the last couple of days."

She wished she had a camera so that she could take a picture of his reaction to her words. He beamed at her declaration of love and friendship as though it were worth all the galleons in Gringotts to him. It made her feel as though everything was right with the world again.

She took his hand as they resumed their walk back to camp. "So what else did Sirius tell you, besides straightening you out over your feelings for me?" she asked, restarting the conversation.

She saw Harry blush. "Just… stuff," he replied, evasively.

"Stuff?" she asked. "Come on, Harry, you know I'm going to get it out of you eventually, so you might as well just tell me."

"Oh, alright then; he gave me the bloody _Talk_, okay? Happy now?" Harry said, a little annoyed that he couldn't stop himself blushing like an idiot.

"_'The Talk'?_ Really?" she giggled. "I'll bet that was… informative," she said, eyes twinkling with mirth.

"Well it wasn't as painful when he did it, as when–" he broke off, realising what he'd almost said.

"As when…? What, Harry? _'As when'_ what? Oh wait! _That's_ what Tonks and my mum were laughing about on Monday! You got _'The Talk'_ from Remus and… my dad. Oh God!"

"Relax, Hermione, he didn't tell me anything. Though from what we heard a little while ago, I expect he–"

Hermione gave him a horrified look and interrupted him. "No, no, no, no, no… Don't you _dare_ finish that thought!"

Harry relented, and turned back to the original topic. That would teach her for making him talk about this. "Actually, it really was all Remus, but I got him good!" he said, smirking.

Hermione raised an eyebrow, and then listened in amusement as he told her the highlights of his conversation on Monday.

~o~

As Harry and Hermione returned to camp, Tonks was the first one up to greet them.

"Oh good, you're back. Guess what!"

Harry looked at Hermione, silently asking her if she had any idea, but her return look told him that she didn't know either.

"No idea, Tonks. What?" he asked, curious about what had her so excited.

"We're going out to celebrate! Go grab a shower and put on something a bit dressy. We'll eat out and then find somewhere to party! C'mon, hop to it!"

Harry stared at her energetic attitude in shock. "Are you completely mad? What is there to celebrate about?"

Remus called over from where he was still sitting around the unlit fire pit. "Pay up, Tonks! I told you he wouldn't go for it."

"Stuff it, Remus. I'm not finished yet!" she yelled back over her shoulder, then turned to Harry "How many reasons do you want? She asked him, then held out a closed hand and started extending fingers as she spoke.

"Okay, first we have your emancipation. Then we have your shiny new title, _'My Lord'_, then of course there's all that yummy money! I do hope you remember your favourite cousin when it comes to spending some of it," she said cheekily.

"Let's see, then we have your marriage proposals…"

"What? What the hell are you–"

"Fred and George? Don't you remember? Oh alright, we won't count those then… bloody spoilsport. Anyway, number four; we have your rescue of Susan! Nice _'Bones'_ eh? Harry? No wonder you saved her life, hey?" she said, winking at him, but she only got an impassive stare in response.

She gave up teasing him about Susan and moved on. "Alright, never mind. Number five would have to be Fawkes choosing to stay with you," she took on a more serious pose for a moment. "And a more ringing endorsement of your worth as a wizard you'll never find my young cousin." She watched as Harry looked away in embarrassment.

"Number six, and obviously the most important reason to celebrate is learning that you have relatives like me! Cone on, Harry, you hit the jackpot here! After all, who wouldn't want to be related to me? Well, unless you fancied me, of course, and who could blame you if you did, eh? Since I'm so gorgeous? But don't worry, we're distant enough that you can have your cake and eat it too, hey? Nudge, nudge…" Tonks sighed at his lack of reaction over her flirty teasing.

"Jeez, talk about a tough room! What does it take to get a laugh out of you? Okay, lucky seven would have to be finally getting to learn about what it means to be a Potter, not that you really need another Lordship I suppose."

She turned around to the group and said "Hey, little help here!"

"Okay, number eight is… umm, you're not at the Dursleys'! There you go, now that's gotta be worth celebrating, surely?" Tonks said, having found some inspiration while waiting for the others to help her out.

Luna's voice called out, "You can celebrate being in such a lovely place, with so many friends around you who love and care for you."

"There you go!" Tonks said smiling, before she called back. "Thanks, Luna!"

Harry turned to her in disbelief. "Tonks, I had to attend _two_ will readings today. How could I possibly celebrate tonight?"

"But that's the best reason of all, Harry! You should go out tonight to celebrate their lives. Don't you think Sirius and your parents should be celebrated?" she asked him, becoming serious for a moment.

"You need to get past this, Harry. We're going to start training tomorrow, so you need to be on top of your game. We're here for you, but we need you to be here for us as well, not off with the nargles! We have no intention of letting the _'Dick Lord'_ win. 'Specially since _he's_ not going to share his lovely dosh with us, eh? Harry?"

Harry had reluctantly smiled at her insult of Voldemort, and thought about what she'd said. Maybe it wasn't disrespectful to go out celebrating after all?

Hermione turned to Harry and spoke up "I think it's a good idea, Harry." Then she turned to Tonks. "I'll go with you, Tonks."

Luna walked up to Harry, and hugged him, and then looked straight at him. "Would you take me out tonight, Harry?" she asked him.

"Woo-hoo! That's settled then!" Tonks said, letting out a laugh. "Looks like you owe me after all Remus!" she crowed at him.

"Hey, I didn't answer yet" Harry said, protesting more for the sake of it than anything else.

Hermione laughed and shook her head, while Tonks just snorted. "Really, Harry? You are planning on telling Luna _'no'_ are you?" she asked him.

"Well… not really, but–"

"Give it up lad" Moody called to him. "It's hard enough winning an argument against one woman. You had no hope against three."

"I don't suppose you could have, oh, I don't know, maybe _mentioned that a little earlier_?" Harry asked him, a little sarcastically.

"Not my fault you haven't got any common sense." Moody replied easily. "I don't recall anyone telling me that as a kid, but I still managed to work it out. Then again, you hang around with that Weasley kid, don't you?" Moody shook his head. "Hard to believe he's got five older brothers and he's still more bloody clueless than you."

Harry frowned as his friend was insulted, but didn't get a chance to reply as Tonks started pushing him in the direction of the tents.

"Go on, Harry. Important safety tip; never stand between me and a party! Holding me up is also pretty dangerous!" she yelled after him, sending a stinging hex at his rear to encourage him to stop dragging his feet and step a little more lively.

She turned to Hermione and Luna. "Right girls, grab what you're going to wear and join me in the other tent. We'll get ready in there."

The three young women split and disappeared into the tents, leaving Moody, Remus, Minerva and Xenophilius sitting around looking at each other.

"Well, I guess it's just us then." Remus said. "Suggestions on what we're going to do this evening?" he asked.

"I thought I might sketch out a lesson plan for teaching them to be Animagi." Minerva said, not sounding at all disappointed not to have been included in Tonks' plan. "Your input would be useful, Remus, as you had three friends go through it."

Remus nodded. "Of course, Minerva. I'd be glad to help. Maybe we can go over apparition afterwards. It's been a while since I had to think about the three D's."

"I suppose I could make out a list of spells they ought to learn." Moody said grumpily. His dancing days were long past, but he quite enjoyed drinking and watching others making fools of themselves. For some reason, though, Tonks seemed to think he'd drag the mood down, and her; _'Hell, no! You can't come!'_ didn't leave much room for misinterpretation when the suggestion had come up.

They all looked at Xenophilius, wondering what the man had planned for the evening, in much the same way some people can't help but stare at traffic accidents.

"Oh, I err, need to finish off an editorial on Fudge. There are rumours that he may be behind a very nasty plot against the Goblins. Very nasty indeed! I can't say any more now, but I wouldn't order any soup in Diagon Alley for a while!" he tapped his finger against his nose, and winked conspiratorially at them.

The others fidgeted uncomfortably, and Xenophilius felt better for having warned them. It was better safe than sorry.

"Well, I think I'll have a look around the meadow and see if I can spot any Snorkack tracks. You're welcome to join me, if you like? They're not dangerous… unless you've drunk any chamomile tea. You haven't, have you? Oh dear, oh dear. I should have warned everyone earlier. I'm really dreadfully sorry…

"Umm, yes… to borrow what Tonks said; _'important safety tip!'_ Don't drink chamomile tea! It's like a Snorkack aphrodisiac; a really strong one. You, uh, really, _really_ don't want to be around a Snorkack after drinking that."

He gulped, and looked around nervously. "You really don't!"

Minerva and Remus stared at him with wide, unblinking expressions, while Moody started howling with laughter.

"Ah, yes, yes, good idea, good idea! Laughter will confuse them! That'll help keep them away from you. Well then, I'll just go take a look around the meadow. I'll be back in a couple of hours or so. Cheerio!"

Remus watched him walk off and then turned to Minerva. "You know, I don't even drink chamomile tea, but if I did, I think that just put me off it for life. Even though I know there's probably no chance that Snorkacks exist… why take the chance?"

Minerva stared at him in disbelief, then lost control and joined Moody in laughter.

Remus winked at her and chuckled along.

Just then Dan and Emma walked up, holding hands. Seeing the others laughing, they couldn't help but start grinning. "What have we missed?" Dan asked.

~o~

Tonks looked at the modest-sized bathroom and decided a change of plans was in order. She spoke to Hermione who was the first one over with an armful of clothes and toiletries.

"Alright, there's no way three of us can all get ready in here, so I'll go next door and use the other one. Harry won't take more than a few minutes anyway, and besides, I don't trust him to dress himself properly." Tonks said, winking at Hermione. She grabbed a few items from the bathroom and headed out.

Hermione closed the door and took a quick shower, using the quiet time to try and process everything that had happened this afternoon. Before she knew it she had a towel wrapped around her, and had another one in her hands drying her hair.

There was a knock on the door, and Hermione opened it to see Luna there holding her things. "Can I come in?" she asked.

Hermione opened the door wider and stood aside. As Luna stepped in, Hermione closed the door after her and went back to drying her hair.

Showing a complete lack of modesty, Luna stripped off her clothes and started her shower without waiting for Hermione to leave. Unconcerned at her presence, Luna started to sing a song that Hermione wouldn't have thought a pureblood witch would have even heard, let alone remembered the lyrics to and be singing.

_"You show us everything you've got. You keep on dancing and the room gets hot. You drive us wild; we'll drive you crazy…"_

Hermione continued dressing while Luna sang the rest of the first verse. She wondered if the girl would ever be able to do anything that didn't surprise her.

_"You keep on shoutin', you keep on shoutin'_. Come on Hermione, join in!" Luna called out during the beat before the chorus started.

_"I, wanna rock and roll all night, and party every day…" _Giving in, Hermione joined in the chorus tentatively, but by the end of the song she had given up worrying what anyone listening might think, and just sang as exuberantly as Luna had been from the very start.

By the time they finished the song, which was more than a few choruses past the usual end, both girls were dressed and working on their hair. Hermione was really looking forward now to going out with Tonks and Luna, and wondered whether she'd be able to keep up with them both. There was clearly a wild side to Luna that she'd never guessed existed.

By the time they exited the bathroom, Tonks was ready and waiting for them. She looked them over as though they had to pass her inspection before being allowed out of the tent. Luna had chosen a deep red dress, and was wearing her new hair clip, while Hermione had opted for a comfortable olive green dress. Tonks herself was in a sexy black outfit that could probably double as a non-verbal _confundus_.

"Yep, that'll do just fine. Let's go. Oh, by the way, you girls better prepare yourselves; Harry's cleaned up quite nicely," she said, smirking at the two of them.

They walked out of the tent and saw Harry standing there. He was wearing a black shirt and pants, a silver tie, and a dark grey jacket. "He looks yummy!" Luna said to Hermione, before walking over to give her boyfriend a hug and quick kiss. His appreciative looks at the girls suggested he quite liked their appearance as well.

"Right-o, let's get going then, shall we?" Tonks said. "Okay, Harry, can you ask Fawkes if he'd mind dropping us off at a place I have in mind in Muggle London?"

"No. Four is too many!" Harry said immediately. "Two's fine, and three maybe, but not four except in an emergency; and even then only a short hop."

The three girls looked at him, staring, as did the others that had been sitting around.

"I'm curious, Harry. How did you know that? Does Fawkes actually talk to you?" Minerva asked him. It was something Albus never talked about, and for some reason she never felt comfortable asking him about it either.

"No, he doesn't talk to me, and we don't communicate really. Well, he doesn't at least. I just… I don't know; _'guess'_ some things from his expressions. It's not really a guess, though; it's more like a really strong feeling that I'm right."

"I think I understand." Minerva said, thinking about what he said. "But your comment about how many people he could carry, surely that wasn't something you picked up from a look?"

Harry shook his head. "No, that was something I just _'knew'_, as though I'd learned it a long time ago and remembered it."

"Fascinating. Truly fascinating. Do you think you could–"

"Yes, Professor, I'll write up my thoughts on phoenix communication when I get a chance and as I learn more about it myself" Harry said, smiling.

Minerva nodded, smiling herself. "As long as Fawkes doesn't mind, of course," she added.

"He doesn't." Harry replied confidently.

"Alright, alright." Tonks interrupted. "While you're guessing what birds are thinking, why don't you try it on me?"

"Err, you want me to stop talking to the others so that we can go now?"

"A right master Legilimens you are, Mister Potter!" Tonks said, approvingly. "Okay, so how about Fawkes takes you and me, then comes back and brings the girls to us? Would he do that for us, and bring us home the same way at the end of the night?

Harry looked over at Fawkes and then nodded. "Yeah, as long as you're not planning on having him hop us all over the place when we reach London, he'll do it. But you're all going to owe him a big favour. Agreed?"

Tonks walked over to the phoenix, and poked him in the chest. "Alright, agreed. But no sponge baths!"

The phoenix trilled in amusement and flew onto Harry's shoulder.

Tonks walked over and linked arms with Harry, then looked up at Fawkes. They disappeared in a flash of flame.

Hermione walked over to her parents to say farewell.

"Be good, honey, and have a good time," her mother told her.

_'Not as good as the one you had earlier though, right, mum?'_ The thought appeared unbidden in Hermione's head, but she managed to suppress it and simply nodded instead. Her expression must have told her parents something though as her mother gave her an amused look.

Hermione rushed to fill in the silence before either of her parents could ask anything she didn't want to answer… especially, where she might have been walking this afternoon. "We've got our wands, so we'll be safe enough. Besides, Tonks is a trained Auror, and I expect Fawkes can get us out of any trouble we can't manage. Don't worry; we'll be good… and safe."

Fawkes appeared back and flew to Luna's shoulder. Hermione hugged her parents quickly and waved to the others as she hurried over to take Luna's hand. A moment later, she was in a quiet alley with Luna, with Harry and Tonks nearby.

Tonks turned to Fawkes, "Okay, I want to cast a _notice-me-not_ charm on you, so you don't drive the Muggles crazy staring at you. That alright with you?" Fawkes just tilted his head at her slightly and let out a short trill.

Tonks turned to Harry, frustrated. "Is that a yes?" she asked him.

Harry suppressed his grin and nodded. "Yep, he trusts you."

Tonks grunted and cast the charm on Fawkes, then muttered to him. "Wouldn't kill you to nod your head when you mean 'yes', would it? Smart bird like you should be able to manage that, I'm sure."

Tonks looked around to see the others grinning at her and she gave them a mock glare in response. "Right, I'm hungry enough to eat a hippogriff, and since I know where one is, I need to eat now before I get tempted to go and roast it!"

Tonks jerked her thumb over her shoulder in Fawkes' direction. "I'd try roasting that feathery git, but he'd probably like it. Alright, let's go."

She led them on a short walk to a small Italian restaurant. A couple of minutes later, they had been escorted to a table, and were sitting at it studying their menus.

"Tonks, what's fettuccine?" Luna asked.

"Well, it's just a kind of flat pasta made out of egg and flour. They do a nice Fettuccine Alfredo here, if that's what you're looking at."

"Actually, I was thinking of having the Fettuccine Carbonara."

Tonks nodded her approval at Luna's selection, and then asked Hermione about her choice, learning that she was going to order the Risotto Funghi.

"Right then Harry, have you made up your mind yet?"

"Not really. I've always wanted to try Lasagne, but the Calzone Rustico looks good as well." Harry said, undecided.

"That sounds good to me. Right then, we'll just order one of each and share. Sound like a plan to you?" Tonks asked, and got a nod in reply.

A few minutes later, they'd placed their orders, including their request for Harry and Tonks' meals to be split over the two plates. They were now sipping the red wine she'd ordered; a chilled and rather fruity Lambrusco that everyone found easy to drink.

"Ok, you three, we're going to have some fun tonight, and I don't mind a little underage drinking, but we need to establish some ground rules. Firstly, you don't drink anything I don't buy you, okay? I'll never hear the end of it if any of you get pissed out of your heads. Secondly, when we get to the clubs, you don't ever let your drink out of sight. There's some stuff that Muggles can put in your drink that can… well, let's just say it'd be like someone slipping some Amortentia in your pumpkin juice. Got me?

"And thirdly, nobody goes anywhere alone. Well, except Harry of course, but he's got Fawkes to hold his hand, or his whatever, when he toddles off to the loo. So, does anyone have a problem with any of that?"

The three agreed to the rules readily, realising, as all teenagers did, that they needed to keep the adults happy if they hoped to do this again sometime.

By the time their meals arrived, Harry had finished his glass of Lambrusco, and Tonks was giving Harry a dirty look as he reached for the bottle. Relenting, Harry took a drink from his water glass instead, and raised it to her in a salute.

Tonks smirked at him. "Good choice, cuz."

Harry smiled at her, wondering if he was ever going to get tired of hearing her reminding him of their family relationship.

As their plates were set in front of them, Harry gaped at the size of the servings. Even Ron would have a hard time getting through all this! Well, maybe not.

Tonks must have read his mind. "Hey, if you're not going to eat all that, just let me know."

He looked across the table at her, and then down at her equally huge plate. "You must be joking, where are you going to fit all of that?"

"Hey, Metamorphmagus here remember… my metabolism is totally wicked at storing energy. The sooner you accept I'm just all round bloody awesome, the easier it's going to be. 'Course, if you don't believe I can eat all this and more besides, we could have a little bet."

"You're on!" Harry said, not expecting for a minute that he was going to win the bet, but happy for any excuse to interact with his cousin.

Tonks laughed. "You really should have agreed to the terms of the bet first. No telling what I might want from you when I win," she said with a suggestive wink.

Harry started eating his meal. He decided lasagne was now his favourite food, followed closely by calzone.

"Can I try some?" Luna asked, startling Harry. For some reason, he'd thought she was a vegetarian.

He swapped plates with her, as the table wasn't large enough for her to simply move hers back a bit, and watched as she ate some of his lasagne, and then the calzone. Then she moved back to the lasagne and Harry started to get a little worried for his meal.

"Aren't you going to try my fettuccine, Harry?" Luna asked him, noticing him watching her eat.

"Huh? Oh yeah. Thanks, Luna". He tried wrapping the pasta around his fork, but ended up giving that up as a bad idea, and simply cut up some of the pasta so that he could eat it normally. It was quite nice, but it wasn't lasagne.

Fortunately, after a few more bites, Luna handed back his plate and they resumed eating their original meals. By the time Harry was full, there wasn't much left on his plate.

"Are you going to finish that?" Tonks asked him. Harry looked up from his internal contemplation of whether he really wanted another bite, to see that Tonks had indeed emptied her own plate and was looking at his with interest.

A little while later, Tonks was using some bread to wipe up the last bits of bolognese sauce from what used to be his plate.

She sat back and patted her stomach, which everyone could see looked just as slim as before, thanks to her choice of outfit. "I'll say it again, what's not to love about being a Metamorphmagus?"

Something occurred to Harry at her rhetorical question.

"But… doesn't that make finding a good bloke hard?"

Tonks stared at him. "You're joking, right? Bloody hell, Harry, I know the Dursleys' messed you up, but really? Never mind, it's easier to just show you."

With that, Tonks cast a _notice-me-not_ charm around the table, and then morphed into a duplicate of Luna, then Hermione, then Ginny, then Susan, and then to Harry's horror, Draco.

"The internal plumbing doesn't change all that much, and I'm not game to even think about messing with hormones, so I'm not 'fully functional' as a male, but I could go through the motions if I had to. Mind you, I can't imagine I'd want to…" 'Draco' drawled, before Tonks resumed her normal form.

"So, you tell me, Harry. Still think it would be hard for me to nab any bloke I really wanted, or any girl for that matter?" she said, now morphing into a duplicate of Harry himself.

Harry looked at Tonks in horror, and then glanced over to his left at Luna. She was looking at Tonks with curiosity, but then turned back to Harry and smiled at him. "I can tell the difference between you," she said, and squeezed his knee under the table.

Tonks changed back, feeling as though she'd made her point.

"I do know all about your morphing, Tonks, though I really hadn't thought of all the, uh, options you had available. I just meant that it must be hard trying to find a bloke that wants you for you, not who you can turn into on the outside."

Tonks laughed. "Yeah, alright, I can see where you're coming from. Listen, don't worry about it. It's not much different to what all other girls have to deal with. Not all guys are sweethearts."

Harry nodded; sorry that he'd brought the whole topic up. This was a side of Tonks he wished he'd never known about.

Tonks looked at him from a moment, guessing where his thoughts were taking him. "You know, Harry, with your titles and wealth, you're going to find witches are going to be throwing themselves at you left, right and centre when that gets out. Plus you've got that whole Tri-Wizard champion thing going on as well, not to mention everything else you've done. I expect you could have a different witch in your bed every night once you get back to civilisation."

"What? How could you think I'd–"

"Relax, Harry. I'm just making my point. Just because someone _can_ do something, it doesn't mean they actually do it, right?"

Harry nodded, feeling more than a little ashamed, and now really wished he'd kept his mouth shut earlier.

Tonks removed the _notice-me-not_ charm she'd cast, and their table was cleared soon after.

"So, anyone want a cappuccino or dessert?" Tonks asked, returning to her usual bubbly personality as though nothing had happened.

The rest of their time in the restaurant went smoothly, although Harry had spun around with his wand ready to cast when the waiter had called out _'Ciao Bella'_ to Tonks as they left.

Perhaps sensing Harry's unease, Fawkes started trilling as they walked a few streets over to a club that Tonks knew. As it was a Wednesday night and still early, they were able to walk straight in without having to queue first.

Tonks went up to the bar, while the others staked their territory in a fairly quiet spot and settled into the low sofas. If Harry was surprised that Luna decided to settle on his lap instead of the seat beside him, he wasn't going to argue about it.

Tonks returned shortly afterwards with four bottles, and handed them around. Harry took a sip but wasn't particularly impressed with it. It was some bubbly, fruity, wine drink that he imagined the girls would like.

"So what do you think?" Tonks asked, having sprawled out on a large armchair.

"I can't say I like the music much, it sounds… a bit off." Harry replied, honestly.

"It's Karaoke, Harry, it nearly always sounds off. Don't worry, they'll have a DJ on later, and then the dancing will start up."

"Dancing? Great…" Harry said, unenthusiastically

"That's the spirit! Right, now who's coming up to sing with me?" Tonks asked, looking around.

~o~

The night had been going quite well. When the dancing had started, he'd followed Luna out a few times, and then at her insistence, he danced with Hermione and Tonks from time to time.

He was dancing with both Luna and Hermione while Tonks was off getting some drinks when the trouble started.

A tall, well-muscled bloke had come over and started dancing close by the three, paying most of his attention to Hermione since Luna was closer to Harry. Since Harry could see Hermione wasn't interested, he manoeuvred himself so that he was between them.

"Hey! Back off, man! Dance with your own bird."

Harry turned to face him "They're with me, and she doesn't want to dance with you."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah it is." Harry replied, and turned back to the girls, thinking the problem had been solved.

~o~

Harry opened his eyes and looked up. He could tell he was still in the club, but what had happened?

"Lie still, Harry," he heard Hermione say. She sounded upset.

"Where's Luna? And Tonks?" Harry said, sitting up and looking around in sudden panic.

"I'm here." Luna said from his other side, and helping him to stand up.

Tonks appeared in front of him, along with the guy that had been trying to dance with Hermione. She had him in a wrist lock, and didn't seem to be exerting much effort to control him. "Anything you want to say to this piece of shite before the coppers take him, Harry?"

Harry shook his head. He still had no idea what was going on. He watched as Tonks walked him over to a couple of Bobbies, and gave them a statement. Whatever she'd said seemed to satisfy them, as they just took the guy with them and didn't come over and ask them any questions.

"So, what happened?" Harry asked, looking between the girls.

"The guy hit you in the back of the head with his bottle after you turned around. You went down and Hermione kicked him, then Tonks came over and threw him around quite a lot. While she was doing that, Fawkes flew up and cried a couple of tears on your head, and then I rennervated you." Luna said, sadly.

"What's wrong, Luna?" Harry asked her, taking her into a hug.

"I'm sorry I wasn't more help to you. I'll do better next time, I promise."

"Well, you did a lot better than I did." Harry said ruefully.

Tonks walked up and started to inspect Harry, peering into his eyes, and gently probing his head for any tenderness.

"I'm okay, Tonks, really. Phoenix tears have healing properties, so I'm fine."

Tonks looked at him again as though checking he was telling the truth, and then enveloped him in a tight hug. "Don't you ever do that to me again!" she demanded, then after a pause. "You made me drop the drinks, you prat!"

"Sorry, Tonks."

She pulled back and her eyes were watery. "Do you want to leave now?" she asked.

"Not really. I was actually having fun, so as long as you three are happy to stay, I am as well."

She nodded, and looked at the others, who also nodded. "Right then. Why don't you go take a seat while we go freshen up, since you've managed to ruin my makeup as well. Oh, and you're buying the next round – make it the next two rounds!"

Tonks watched him head back towards 'their' seats with Fawkes on his shoulder again, and then she went to the ladies room with the two girls. The room was fortunately empty when they arrived, and Luna cast a _colloportus_ charm on the door to lock it.

"One bloody day." Tonks said softly, looking at herself in the mirror.

"Tonks?" Hermione asked, uncertainly.

"I nearly got him killed after only one bloody day as his cousin. It took me longer than that to kill Sirius. Gotta be some kind of record don't you think?"

Luna walked up to her and slapped her. "Don't talk like that! You know Sirius was duelling with Bellatrix when he fell into the veil. Just because you couldn't beat her doesn't mean it was your fault that he died, any more than it was Harry's. What happened tonight was no-one's fault. Well, except that Harry shouldn't have turned his back on that man, but I doubt he'll make that mistake again."

Tonks stared at her. "Feisty little thing when you want to be, aren't you?" she said eventually, smiling.

"You're wasting my Harry-time Tonks. Are you going to fix your makeup now?" Luna asked her, smiling back.

Tonks winked at her and then turned to the sink. Quickly washing and drying her face, she then mimed opening a small bag and taking out a lipstick. As she drew her imaginary lipstick across her face, the girls saw her lips taking on a redder appearance.

Replacing her pretend lipstick, she then mimed applying a lip liner, blush, eye shadow and mascara, until the other girls were more than a little impressed at her control.

When she finished, she mimed putting a compact mirror in a bag, closing it up and then tossing it away over her shoulder. She turned and grinned at the girls. "Like I said earlier, who the hell wouldn't want to be a metamorph? C'mon, let's go dance with your boyfriend, Luna!"

"Once I've finished snogging him a bit first." Luna replied.

"Right, maybe I'll just get the drinks then. You two stay together." Tonks said, then unlocked the door and left.

Hermione was about to follow her out when Luna closed the door and locked it again.

"So, Hermione, how did your talk go with Harry?"

Sighing, Hermione told her the highlights of her conversation with Harry, not holding anything back.

"So you told him it was too late now; because he's with me?" Luna scowled, and muttered to herself. "That's still not a choice…"

"Okay, I'm going to have to sort you both out, since neither of you are doing what I've asked. I've had him as a boyfriend for three days since Monday, so starting tomorrow; Harry is going to be _your_ boyfriend for three days. We'll have to make sure he takes you out on Saturday night. That way he'll have a way of comparing which of us he really wants as a girlfriend, and he can tell us his decision on Sunday.

"Now that that's settled, I've got a boyfriend to snog. Let's go, Hermione." With that, Luna unlocked the door and put her wand away.

Hermione followed her out of the room, suddenly wondering if there really were Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. She had a sneaking suspicion that the forces of nature and magic had probably given in to her as well.

~o~


	21. Chapter 21: Training Begins

**Thoughts of Pudding by Brian64.**

**Chapter 21: Training Begins.**

_Wednesday 26th June, 1996._

"So, Em; do you feel like taking a walk over to that meadow Xeno was talking about after we finish this?" Dan asked his wife, handing her the last plate to dry and then starting on the cutlery.

"Didn't you get enough… _walking_ this afternoon?" she asked him with a sly smile. Truth be told, she liked the idea as well, but agreeing too easily would spoil the thrill of the chase for Dan.

"I like… _walking_ with you." Dan said, grinning at her. "When was the last time we took a holiday to a lovely spot like this? No TV. No phones. No traffic…"

"Well, when was the last time we got to sit in and listen to Hermione's teachers planning lessons?" she countered.

"A good point," Dan conceded. "However, we'll have plenty of opportunities to watch the kids train, and I'm sure that afterwards we'll know what questions to ask them about why they set the lessons up a particular way. At the moment, all we'll do is get in the way of their preparation."

Emma mentally gave him a point as she finished drying off the cutlery. He'd already wiped down the bench top and was draining the sink.

"All right, we'll go for a walk; but you owe me a foot massage after we get back. I haven't broken in these new shoes yet and they're a bit tight," she said, smiling.

"Deal! But you should ask Minerva to spell your shoes for you. I'm sure she must know something that will help make them more comfortable for you."

"I'll ask her, but don't think you're going to weasel out of that foot rub, mister!" she told him, hanging up the tea towel.

"How about you put these away for me while I go and see her?" she asked, heading outside to find Hermione's teacher.

A few minutes later, the Grangers were walking hand in hand on their way to Gofars Ängar. They walked along quietly, enjoying each other's company, and when Dan finally broke the silence, it wasn't a question that Emma was expecting.

"Do you think we should start looking around for another magical school for the kids to go to?"

"What brought that up?" she asked, curious about his intentions. Perhaps he did just want to walk and talk after all.

"I've been thinking over what the others told us about the will readings today," Dan replied. "I still can't get over the fact that their headmaster deliberately let Harry's godfather rot in that prison all that time. Since he was the one that cast that secrecy charm over their house, he knew exactly who the secret keeper was."

Emma grimaced. They'd also heard how angry Harry was when he came back from Gringotts, and she could completely understand.

Dan shook his head. "I don't know, Em. If he can justify doing that, then what's to stop him doing something to Hermione if he decides it's better for Harry that she isn't so close to him? Is she going to end up petrified in the hospital wing for months again? I honestly don't know what the man is capable of, and I'm not sure I want to find out."

Emma shuddered as she remembered the horror that was Hermione's second year. First there was the time she spent as a half-cat due to some potions accident, and then the time she'd spent petrified waiting for some potion to be ready. She still wasn't sure how Hermione had managed to talk them into letting her go back for her third year.

She thought for a minute, and then turned to Dan. "I think we need to have a serious conversation with Minerva. She's going to be getting some sort of unbreakable promise from the headmaster on Friday, so we need to get see if we can get some clauses in that will protect Hermione as well."

"And if she can't get the promise from him that we want?" Dan asked, already knowing the answer.

"Then she won't be going back to Hogwarts!" Emma stated firmly, confirming her husband's suspicions. "Thanks to Minerva's questions that first night, we already know Harry would happily fund a move overseas if it would keep his friends safe."

He nodded his agreement, then raised an eyebrow. Emma knew what he was asking and nodded back. _'Yes, we'll talk to Hermione about it first, but we're going to do it anyway.'_

They were her parents after all, and they were going to do whatever they could to protect her.

~o~

A few hours later, Dan and Emma were snuggled up on a conjured sofa around the small campfire, talking with Remus who had stayed up. The conversation had turned to Moody's acceptance of the kids going off on a night out with just Tonks, though Remus had picked up loud and clear the underlying concern of two parents whose daughter was off on a late night out.

"…All I'm saying is that I'm surprised Alastor let them go off without a fight, given the fuss he was making about going to the pictures the other day." Emma said, continuing the point she was trying to make.

Remus nodded. "Before the will reading he wouldn't have let them go without a fight," he confirmed.

Emma's forehead furrowed in thought. "So what changed, then? I can't see him being impressed with Harry's titles and money, so… oh, wait, it's Fawkes, isn't it? Something about Fawkes!"

Remus nodded. "I thought his eye was going to pop out of his head when he saw Fawkes come back with Harry this afternoon. Then, after Harry's little discussion just before they left tonight, I think you can safely say that Alastor is now as relaxed as he's ever going to get."

Dan shook his head. "Sorry, Remus, but I need you to spell it out for me. The camp fire's made me a bit fuzzy."

Remus unconsciously adopted the teaching persona he'd cultivated while a professor at Hogwarts, and questioned them to help them work it out for themselves. "Do you remember how Harry interacted with Fawkes before today?"

Emma's expression cleared up as the question gave her the hint she need. "I get it now. Fawkes was just a bird to him before, because Harry had no idea what he would do. But now it's like Fawkes is communicating back to him somehow, and Harry understands him."

"10 points to the Grangers. Yes, that's it exactly. But what you need to know is that the only reason Harry would be able to do that is if Fawkes chose to bond with him. Harry's clear demonstration of that bond is what has caused Alastor to back down."

"So Fawkes is bonded to Harry now? What does that mean?" Dan asked.

"I'd say probably still bonding, but that's just a guess. Not a lot is really known about phoenix bondings. This is a really good thing for Harry though, as familiars won't let anything happen to their companions if they can help it." Remus clarified.

"You mean, Fawkes can just grab him and take him away from any real danger?" Emma asked, then became annoyed as she thought about the ramifications. "Well that's just fine for Harry! But what about Hermione and Luna? If trouble strikes, then instead of having Harry there to help protect them, they'll be left watching that bird whisk him away to safety!"

Remus flinched as Emma's tone clearly accused him of allowing her daughter to be in increased danger without so much as a warning.

Remus shook his head. "I don't think you have to worry about that. Harry would step in front of a killing curse for those girls, and Fawkes would fly in front of him to take it first."

The Grangers thought about that for a minute, but they were still left with the feeling that things had become a little less safe for the girls. There wasn't time for any other questions though, as, with a flash of fire, the object of their discussion appeared with Luna and Hermione. Fawkes took off and was back a few seconds later with Tonks and Harry.

Luna walked up to Tonks and gave her a hug, saying a very sincere thank you for taking them out for such a fun night. Then she stepped over to Harry and gave him a very thorough goodnight kiss, before waving her goodnights to the others.

Somewhat dazedly, Harry muttered his own goodnights as well, and had actually taken a couple of steps before giving his head a small shake. He turned around and walked up to hug Tonks, giving her an equally sincere thank you. Then as they both let go, he grinned at her and said "You're right, cousin, what's not to love about you?"

She laughed and ruffled his already messy hair. "Go to bed. Training starts early tomorrow, remember?"

He nodded, and gave a few more goodnights before heading into the tent and his bed. Shortly afterwards, Tonks, and then Remus said their own goodnights, leaving the Grangers sitting around the fire by themselves. Hermione had taken a seat and was currently staring at the flames, deep in thought.

"Penny for them?" Emma said after a few minutes, realising that Hermione wasn't going to volunteer whatever it was that had her so preoccupied.

Hermione looked up with such a lost expression on her face that Emma moved apart from Dan to give her room to cuddle in between them if she wanted to. Hermione did.

Once they were all settled, the three of them returned to looking at the fire. Hermione's parents were content to wait for her to start talking now that she was between them.

Slowly, Hermione talked about Harry, and Emma and Dan listened with some sympathy as the story came out. They learned how she eventually realised her feelings for him, her conversations with Luna and then with Harry, and then finally, Luna's plan for getting Harry to make a real choice between the two girls.

Dan looked over Hermione's head at Emma and gave her a look that she correctly interpreted as _'all yours!'_

"Well, if I understand this right, you're going to have a boyfriend tomorrow after Luna tells him her plan. How do you feel about that, love?"

"I don't know. What am I supposed to do?" she asked plaintively.

"Well, putting Luna and everything else aside, would you want him as a boyfriend?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, I would."

"So what are you worried about, then? From tomorrow you'll have just as much chance as Harry does to decide if you want to take your friendship in that direction, or leave it as it is."

"I know, mum, but what about Luna? What has she done to deserve having me try to steal her boyfriend from her?"

"She hasn't done anything wrong, sweetie. In fact, she's doing something incredibly brave for such a young girl. I have so much respect for her I can't begin to tell you. That goes for you as well. The fact that you're feeling so terrible about this shows that you respect her claim to him, so you can forget all about that silly notion that you're somehow stealing him."

Dan watched as Hermione processed what her mother told her, and then slowly nod her acceptance of the words. "You know, Hermione, you're going to have to be yourself over the next few days, and act as though Luna doesn't have any claim to him other than as a friend."

He watched as her daughter's head turned to look at him in surprise, and then answered her unspoken question. "Luna's doing this because she wants Harry to be with the girl he really wants. She's already told you her reasons for that. You need to behave as you normally would if you were Harry's girlfriend, otherwise you'll be cheating all three of you."

At his daughter's confused look he looked over at Emma to see if she could make it any clearer for her.

"Suppose you were Luna, love, and you had Harry as your boyfriend because his friend had chased him away out of a sense of misguided loyalty to you. How would you cope when you saw the occasional look on his face as he looked at his friend as though wondering what might have been? How long could that go on before you started hating both of them?" Her mother asked.

Hermione's eyes widened as though she finally understood why it was so important for Luna to do this. She really did need Harry to make a proper choice.

"This way, Luna gets to stay best friends with both you and Harry, and she still has a chance that Harry will choose her, or that you'll decide that you don't want him as a boyfriend. The only thing that can mess things up is if you push Harry away… again," her mother said.

Hermione nodded. Then something occurred to her; "But what if he decides he does want to be with Luna after all?"

"Well, what if he does? How is that any worse than things are now? At least this way you'll know as well, and can move on." Dan said.

Hermione thought about it, and eventually gave a wry smile and nodded. "You're right, daddy. It would be better to know for sure. You guys are great. I would have messed this up without you and mum."

Her parents accepted her hugs and returned them, then sent her off to bed.

After watching her walk into the tent she shared with Harry and the Lovegoods, they got up and walked off to their own room in the other tent.

Dan felt Emma's smirk even before he looked over and saw it on her face. "I noticed you didn't say anything to her about how you'll be threatening Harry tomorrow," she told him.

Dan smirked right back. "She had enough to be getting on with tonight. Besides, it's every dad's right to threaten his daughter's boyfriend."

"Uh-huh. What about boyfriends that can take on basilisks, dragons and dark lords?"

"He treats her right or he's going down!" Dan said, shrugging.

"My hero!" Emma said, laughing. "My _dead_ hero, but still my hero."

Dan laughed along with her as they walked inside.

~o~

When Hermione entered the room she shared with Luna, she noticed the girl was already lying in her own bed. Hermione got changed into her pyjamas, and was about to climb into her own bed when she turned around and walked over to Luna's.

Kneeling down, she said softly "Luna?"

Luna opened her eyes and looked at her.

"I'll do it," Hermione said. "I'll do it properly, so that you can get a proper choice."

Luna reached over and pulled Hermione close so that she could hug her. "Thank you! Thank you, Hermione," she said.

"You're welcome, Luna, and thank you, too. I didn't really understand, but my parents explained it to me. If they hadn't I'd probably have messed this up for the three of us."

Hermione pulled back from the hug, and looked at Luna. "You know, we still have to convince Harry tomorrow. I'm not quite sure how you're going to do that."

Luna shrugged. "Neither do I yet. But I'll worry about that tomorrow. I'm really tired now and need some sleep."

"Me too." Hermione said. They looked at each other for a few seconds, and Hermione thought she saw something in Luna's expression, though it was very hard to see in the dim light. "Well, are you going to make room for me?" she asked.

She smiled as Luna quickly moved to the other side of the bed and held the covers up so that Hermione could slide in to bed.

They were cuddled up and asleep less than five minutes later.

~o~

Tonks woke early the next morning, and after dressing quickly in clothes suitable for exercise, went over to the Lovegoods' tent. Opening the door to the girl's room, she was quite surprised to learn of their sleeping arrangements.

_'This is going to work out even better than I expected'_ she thought as she drew her wand on the sleeping girls.

~o~

Harry woke instantly as he heard Hermione's scream. Exploding out of his bed, his wand was in hand and he was halfway to the door when he heard Hermione yell out. _"Tonks, how could you?"_

When Harry saw the scene in the girl's room from the open door, his brain decided to lock up while his eyes dutifully recorded everything to permanent storage.

Tonks was sending a water jet over to wake up the girls… who were in the same bed… very wet…

Hermione's shrieks raised an octave as she noticed Harry in the doorway looking in. Tonks looked around, and taking pity on the girls, cancelled her _Aguamenti_ charm and started pushing Harry out and closed the door after they'd both left.

"Nothing to see here, Harry!" she said, laughing. "Well – that's a lie, of course, but nothing you're going to see now," she said, looking him over and smirking. "Nice abs!"

"Huh?" Harry said, as the comment slowly penetrated his brain. It had slowly started rebooting after the door had closed. Harry suddenly realised he was standing there in front of Tonks, clad in only his boxers. He let out a girlish squeak before running back into his own room and slamming the door.

Tonks laughed out loud and yelled out to the teens "Be out front and dressed for exercise in five minutes, or tomorrow morning I'll be getting you up an hour earlier!"

Walking out of the tent, she headed over to the table and conjured 4 water bottles, then filled them with her wand. She looked up and grimaced as she saw who it was that was hurrying out of the tent, struggling to finish putting on a shirt.

"Oh hell, I'm really sorry, Xeno. I forgot to put up a silencing charm on your door before I woke the kids up for their training.

"Ah, right! Well, err, not to worry, not to worry. I'll just, umm…" Xeno trailed off as his barely awake brain struggled to find anything he could say to try and make things less uncomfortable for Tonks.

"You know what, it's a lovely morning, so I'll just have a stroll and see if I can find any fresh Snorkack tracks. Yes! Wonderful idea! Who knows what I might find? Hmm, yes, yes… an early start could be just the ticket!" Xeno continued muttering happily to himself as he walked off in the direction of the nearby lake.

Tonks watched him walk off with a thoughtful expression on her face, until she heard someone exit the tent and walk over to her. Tonks noted with some amusement that although Harry still had traces of his blush, he was at least able to make eye contact with her.

"All right, Harry, know anything about exercising properly? No? Well, not to worry. Basically, we need to make sure our muscles are warmed up before we start using them, and then we need to help them to relax again afterward. We also need to make sure we keep our fluids up since we'll be doing some sweating."

She threw him one of the water bottles, and grabbed one for herself and took a few mouthfuls.

"Just do a little heel-toe and running on the spot while we wait for the girls, then I'll take you all through some stretching exercises over there on the grass."

She demonstrated what she wanted him to do and was about to go inside and collect the girls at wand point when they came out. Luna gave Harry a cheerful good morning, but didn't interrupt his exercising to give him a hug or kiss. Hermione gave him a soft good morning but wouldn't meet his eyes.

They girls both caught the bottles Tonks threw to them, and took some sips at her gesture. Establishing that none of her three trainees had undertaken any formal exercising, she led them all over to a flat grassy area and conjured some large padded mats.

Over the next 20 minutes, she led them through an assortment of stretching exercises, then cycled them through various physical exercises interspersed with more stretching and running on the spot.

"Ok, what I'm going to do now is teach you how to punch, Tae Kwon Do style… First we get into the _Naranhi Junbi Sogi_, the Ready stance… So when I call out 'Choon Bee', this is how I want you to stand…"

~o~

Some time later, and reasonably satisfied with their first efforts, Tonks had them finish off with some more sit ups and push ups, before setting them some cooling down stretches.

She chuckled quietly to herself as she overheard the almost whispered comments amongst the teens.

"She's totally evil! I'm surprised she doesn't already have her own band of Death Eaters."

"She probably does, and they all worship the Dark Lady Nym–"

"No! don't say it. Call her _'She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!'"_

She laughed aloud at the last comment, and giving herself a set of red eyes, she turned back to them to dismiss them.

"Right you three, that was a good first effort. We're going to do the same thing tomorrow morning, and over the next few weeks I'll take you through the first few Hyungs- err, Tae Kwon Do routines. Now, off to the showers, then grab some breakfast. Then afterwards you can see what Remus has for you."

Taking Luna's hand after they'd climbed to their feet, Harry missed Luna's meaningful look at Hermione. What he couldn't fail to miss though was the feeling of Hermione's hand claiming his own. When he looked at her she met his eyes as though daring him to let go of her hand. When he didn't, she smiled and gave his hand a small squeeze, which he returned.

He looked at Luna on his left, and gave her a look that clearly asked _'what's going on?'_ But Luna simply gave him one of her enigmatic smiles, and started walking back to the tents.

Letting the girls shower first, he sat in his room and leafed through one of the new books he'd taken out of his new library to read; _'Practical Defensive Magic and its Use Against the Dark Arts.' _It didn't take him long to realise that this was the same book Sirius and Remus had bought him last Christmas, and that the slightly dog-eared original was buried somewhere in his old trunk.

Deciding he'd send the new copy off to Ginny for use with the DA, he quilled a short note to her and tied it to the book. Deciding that the trip was too far to interrupt Hedwig's own holiday, he asked Fawkes if he wouldn't mind dropping it off for him.

Harry was somewhat shocked as he suddenly relived a memory from his fourth year. It was during the period before the first task when he and Ron weren't speaking to each other, and he'd asked Hermione to pass on a message to Ron for him. She'd turned around and told him that she wasn't an owl.

"Sorry, Fawkes," Harry told the phoenix sincerely, "I guess I have been taking advantage of you lately, haven't I? It's okay, I'll get it to her another way."

Harry spent the next ten minutes caressing and talking to Fawkes, until he got the knock on his door that signalled the bathroom was free. When he had finished and returned to his room, he found the book and note missing, and a letter from Ginny was in its place.

_'Thanks, Harry, This book looks excellent for the DA. Can't say much as Fawkes looks like he wants to go. Say hi to everyone for me. Stay safe, Ginny.'_

Walking over to Fawkes, Harry gave him another caress. "Thank you, Fawkes. You didn't have to do that, but I appreciate it."

As he stepped out of the tent, he walked over to Luna and gave her their first kiss of the day, and then sat down next to her and served himself some muesli. Focussing on his breakfast, he didn't notice Hermione get up with her empty bowl, and timing it just right, leaned over and gave him a good morning kiss of her own before he took his next spoonful. He was hardly a kiss connoisseur with his few days experience, but even he realised that this was more than just a friendly kiss between friends.

After she pulled back, she gave him a wink and then walked off smiling into the tent to wash the dishes.

He turned to Luna only to find her smiling at him again. "Luna, you know something, don't you? Would you please tell me what is going on?"

"Of course, Harry. As soon as we've finished training with Remus, we'll go for a walk and talk about it, okay?"

Harry nodded, happy enough to wait now that he knew there was an answer coming. In the meantime, his thoughts continually probed at the question as he finished eating. He'd thought they'd sorted everything out yesterday afternoon, so had he done something last night that led Hermione on? He'd danced with both her and Tonks, of course, but Luna had told him to do that.

The feel of a hand softly running through his hair brought him out of his thoughts and he looked up to see Luna standing next to him. "Come on, Harry. Remus is waiting for us."

They walked over to the same grassy area that seemed to have become their training ground. This time they had a couple of spectators, as Dan and Emma had decided to watch how Apparition was taught.

Remus separated them so that they were five feet apart, and conjured hoops in front of each teenager. He explained the 'Three D's' in detail, and demonstrated the process a couple of times himself before setting them to practice.

It seemed that nothing was going to happen until, with a pop, Harry appeared within his hoop.

"I did it!" he yelled, and pumped a fist into the air. He looked around as everyone stared at him, though they seemed more shocked than pleased, then they all looked from him to Remus.

"Yes, well, sometimes during apparition, it's possible to leave part of yourself behind. This is called 'splinching', and it happens all too frequently…"

As Remus spoke, Harry was trying to inventory himself to try and work out what he'd lost.

"It's normally a fairly easy job to reattach the missing fingernail or leg or whatever but… Harry, how the hell did you manage to splinch your hair?"

Harry's eyes widened as he put his hands to his head. He was as bald as an egg.

He looked desperately at Remus. "Remus, please tell me that you can fix this. You can, can't you?"

Harry looked back at where he had been standing before apparating, and saw a very small pile of hair, and a quite a bit of it blowing off in the wind. In desperation, Harry drew his wand and cast. _"Accio Harry's hair!"_

He ended up with barely a scant handful of hair, but after looking at the expression on Remus' face, he sighed dejectedly and just let it go.

The others came over to Harry to reassure him. "Well, look on the bright side, Harry. This is probably the tidiest your head's been in years!" Dan said, smiling, while Emma smacked him over the back of his own head for his insensitivity.

The absurdity of the comment struck Harry as funny, and he couldn't help but chuckle briefly. He supposed it wouldn't really hit him until he actually saw himself in a mirror.

Remus was concerned about continuing. Usually seeing how easily the splinching was reversed was enough to get people back on track, but with Harry's splinching unresolved, their focus was going to be questionable. "Do you want to stop the lesson early and pick it up again tomorrow?" he asked.

Dan whispered something in Harry's ear.

"Make it so!" Harry said.

Emma and Hermione both burst out laughing, while Dan grinned. "Told you!" he said at Harry's confused look.

Taking pity on him, Hermione walked over to Harry and grabbed his hand. "Come on _Jean Luc_, Luna and I need to have a talk with you anyway. I can tell you all about Star Trek at the same time."

~o~

"So Riker's the first officer, and that's why Picard calls him 'Number One'?" Harry asked Hermione, who nodded. She'd given him a concise rundown on the Enterprise 'D' crew and plot.

"And Data's the android second officer, but his job is mostly just to look stuff up while the blind guy gets the cool job of flying the ship?" he asked, and got another nod.

"So why doesn't Picard call Data 'Number Two? Especially since he's got such a crappy job?"

Hermione didn't laugh, but her lips twitched a bit before she could calmly reply, "I don't know, Harry."

They walked quietly for a minute before Hermione asked him what it felt like to apparate.

"Well, everything goes black and it's like you're pressed really hard all over, and you feel like you can't breathe. You get this feeling like you're being squeezed through a hosepipe, and then just when you think it's over, your head gets really cold."

_'Gotcha this time!'_ he thought, as Hermione and Luna both processed the list of feelings and then started giggling as they got to the last one.

When the laughter died down, Harry directed a meaningful look at Hermione, and then at Luna when Hermione didn't say anything.

"Harry, do you remember those conversations we had, which basically came down to you deciding which of us you'd rather be dating?" Luna asked him.

Harry nodded. He had a feeling this was going to come up again.

"Well, I don't think you can make a proper choice until you know what you're choosing between."

"Huh? Of course I know." Harry protested.

"Harry, you know your 'friend' Hermione, but you don't know whether she would be a good girlfriend, or even a great one for you. So I want you to be her boyfriend until Sunday, and then you can tell us who you would rather date."

"Luna, how can I be her boyfriend when I'm already with you?" The words were barely out of his mouth when he wanted to call them back. He knew what she'd say.

"Because I'll just be your best friend for the next few days. Oh, don't be sad, Harry. Things won't change all that much between us. We can still hug and hold hands like you've been doing with Hermione until today. And you'll have Hermione to kiss instead of me."

"Luna…"

"Please do this for me, Harry. Do this for us, the three of us."

"I don't… it's not right, I'm already with you."

"You're very loyal, Harry. It's one of your best qualities, but let me ask you something. Why are you so worried? If you truly only want to be with me, then all that will happen is that in a few days you'll choose me and we'll be together. And we'll each have the gift of knowing that being together wasn't an accident of timing.

"But… but what about Hermione? Is it fair to play with her feelings for those days?"

"Harry Potter! How could you say something so unkind?" Luna said, scolding him. "You take that back!"

Harry was confused. "What did I say?"

Luna was incensed. "You just suggested that Hermione didn't have any hope of winning you over, so you weren't even going to try. Tell her the truth!"

Harry looked over at Hermione who was looking at him with watery eyes and one of the saddest expressions he'd ever seen on her face. He felt ashamed and looked down. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I shouldn't have said that. Luna's right, I didn't mean that. I just…"

Hermione joined in the conversation for the first time. "You just what, Harry?"

"I… I just panicked. I don't want to lose what I have with Luna, I just… I'm sorry, Hermione. I really didn't mean it. If anything… it's the opposite, and that's why I panicked." Harry said softly, almost whispering.

Since signing the emancipation papers yesterday, he'd been trying as hard as he could to act more like an adult instead of an easily embarrassed, whiny little boy. He tried to force himself to raise his eyes and look at the girls, but it seemed his shame had a greater hold on him than his resolution at the moment.

He was jolted out of his internal musings, by two hands lifting his head up, and then a warm pair of lips pressing against his own as the hands moved to the back of his head holding him in place. His own hands came up to embrace Hermione as he returned her kiss to show that he meant what he'd said. That he could easily choose her, if only he hadn't already chosen Luna.

After a time the kiss ended and they moved apart, looking at each other.

"That's much better." Luna declared, and they both looked to see her smiling at them. Harry rushed over to hug her tightly. She hugged him back for a minute before stepping back. "Come on, Harry, we don't want to make your girlfriend jealous, do we?"

She placed a finger over his lips as he was about to protest. "This is what I want, Harry. I want you to be absolutely sure that you wouldn't rather be with Hermione than me, and I'm afraid your loyalty is getting in the way of that. Why don't you try looking at it from the point of view that Hermione had you first, instead of me? All those years you spent as her friend, and all the things she's done for you. You both need to explore this!"

She let her hand drop from his face, and smiled warmly at him again. She couldn't help it; even without his hair she thought he was such a lovely person.

"We've only known each other such a short time through the DA and the last few days, Harry. I'm still going to love you as a friend if you choose Hermione as your girlfriend, and I'd never try to break you two up. So it's not like we won't be together as friends if you want us to be."

"Of course I would, Luna. That's a promise!" Harry said quickly.

Luna's eyes watered as she grabbed Harry in a tight hug, then she kissed his cheek as she let him go. "You've made me so happy, Harry. You and Hermione both. I still hope that you'll choose me, but I'm more than happy to be your friend, and you've just given me that."

She walked over to Hermione to give her a hug as well, and whispered something in her ear. As she pulled away, Hermione nodded.

"I'm going back to camp now. Didn't you say you had somewhere to go in a couple of hours for lunch?

Harry nodded, and watched as Luna walked off. Hermione's hand found his and squeezed. He looked at her.

"You know that I wouldn't try to steal you away from her, don't you, Harry?"

Harry thought about it for a minute before nodding.

Hermione sighed. "Come on, Harry, let's take a seat, and I'll explain it to you the way my parents did for me."

He was about to sit on the ground, before Hermione took out her wand and conjured a small loveseat. After he sat down, she sat beside him, facing him with her back against the armrest, one leg folded almost beneath her and her arm along the back of the seat.

She told him about the conversation she'd had with her parents the night before, and explained that it was only then that she understood how important it was to find out whether they should be the ones dating.

"So you see, Harry, you can't steal something if it's freely given."

Harry nodded, "Yeah, I get it now. It's just…" he broke off, unable to find the words for what he what he was feeling.

"You feel like you're betraying Luna?" Hermione asked softly.

"Yes, that's it! How was it so easy for you to work that out when I couldn't do it?"

She laughed. "Because you'd sooner snog Malfoy than betray anyone. It's just not in your nature."

"Oh no, that's a vision I could do without, I almost lost my dinner last night when Tonks morphed into him."

"You really like Tonks, don't you?"

Harry nodded. "Absolutely! Don't get me wrong, there have been times I've wished that you and Ron were my family, and the Weasleys as well, but… Tonks _really is_ family, and she… wants me. As family I mean. She's like the big sister I never had. You saw how she totally went off at Dumbledore yesterday over Snape. I almost cr– I mean, it was so unexpected that she felt so strongly about me, you know?"

Hermione smiled in sympathy. "I can't imagine what it must have been like growing up without anyone to love you. It's really not so hard to understand that you'd hold on so tightly to Tonks and Luna. But they aren't the only ones that love you, Harry."

"I know, Hermione."

She looked at him for a moment. "So are we dating now, Harry?"

Harry had started to nod when a thought occurred to him. Hermione tensed up as she wondered what the problem was now.

"Hermione, would you be my girlfriend for the next few days, with the possibility that it may be a more longer term thing?"

_'Jackpot!'_ she thought to herself as she moved onto his lap and started kissing him.

~o~


	22. Chapter 22: Changes

**Thoughts of Pudding by Brian64.**

**Chapter 22: Changes.**

_Thursday 27th June, 1996._

Ginny sat at the desk in her bedroom, quickly writing a thank you note to Harry for the defence book he'd sent her for the DA. Turning in her chair, she looked nervously at the phoenix perched on the chair's back, and then extended the note towards him carefully. She could have sworn the phoenix looked amused at her caution as it took the note in his beak. Then, with a quick down sweep of his wings, he took flight briefly before vanishing in a burst of flames.

She blinked away the afterimages of his departure, and then turned back to the book on her desk. Picking it up, she idly flicked through the pages again, a little more leisurely than she had originally when the phoenix had dropped it off a few minutes earlier. Her fingers and eyes were going through the motions of browsing, but her mind was paying no attention at all.

The delivery of the book was just the latest in a series of unusual events, and she couldn't help but work them over in her head to see if she could solve a few of the riddl–

_'Damn!'_ she thought, shivering reflexively as her thoughts baulked at the word. It was just a word. There was nothing to fear about a word… or a name.

Riddle himself, though? Well that was something else entirely, wasn't it? There was no need to be ashamed of fearing him! Or for hating him. She did that as well. He'd tricked her into writing in his diary, pretending to be her friend. She'd poured her soul out to him – quite literally, as it turned out – and then he'd tried to kill both her and Harry.

What was that phrase Hermione had used to describe her rage when they'd spoken about what Tom had done to her? _'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned?'_ Well, she was certainly furious with him. Too bad she was still more afraid than angry, but wasn't that one of the reasons she joined the DA in the first place?

She sighed as she realised her thoughts had run away with her again. What was she thinking about before thoughts of Tom interrupted her?

She looked down at the book in her hands. _'Of course; Harry._'

It had started Sunday night when Dumbledore had come around looking for Harry with some story about him not arriving at the Dursleys. That certainly caused her to panic since she'd seen them all there at the station, but oddly, Ron had been unconcerned. When she'd confronted him about it afterwards, all he'd tell her was that Harry was okay, and was surprisingly firm about not telling her anything else. Fine time for Ron to start keeping secrets!

Thankfully, there was some reassurance from the headmaster the next day. Professor McGonagall had Harry somewhere from the sounds of things, along with a few others… and Hermione.

_Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later._ That was what she'd thought at the time.

But then Hedwig had turned up without a note later that day, and had just started hanging around the Burrow. Not all the time, but more often than not she could see her on a branch outside her window when she looked out.

But Harry hadn't turned up. She was sure that Hedwig's arrival meant that Harry would soon arrive as well. But he hadn't. Why would Hedwig have come by herself, without so much as a note to say _'Hey Ron/Ginny/Mrs Weasley, would you mind watching over Hedwig for a couple of days/few weeks/indefinitely?' _Since he hadn't, she'd got the feeling Hedwig had chosen to come herself, but that didn't make any sense. Did it?

Her thoughts went back to the same old _'So where was Harry? Somewhere Hedwig couldn't go?'_ cycle before she gave up thinking about it. It wasn't as though the answer was suddenly going to occur to her now, when it hadn't the dozens of other times she'd wondered the same thing.

So, no word from him, but then had come news of the will reading and the expectation of meeting him the next day. She had thought seriously about whether to give him the severe tongue-lashing and hexing he deserved for making her– _them_ all worry when she saw him there. But eventually decided that was hardly the right time, and resolved to make sure that he paid for the worry he'd caused her later. Probably…

She hardly recognised the Harry she'd found at Gringotts the next day, though. She'd expected to see the almost complete wreck he'd been since the Ministry, but he actually seemed mostly okay and had finally worn clothes that fit him. Oh, boy, did they fit him! Then there was that thing with Malfoy and his mother. So he was related to the Blacks, and therefore Draco, Sirius, and Tonks? She sure hadn't seen that one coming.

As for Luna… well, that was surely the biggest surprise of all. What the hell had happened there? Could it really have been so simple to catch Harry? Simply wrap yourself around him every chance you got as though he was already yours, and just wait until he gives in and accepts it?

Two days it took her, according to Hermione. Two days. She'd lost count of how many days and nights she'd dreamed about Harry, but it took Luna all of two days. _'Two bloody days!'_

Damn, that girl was smart! Her mother would no doubt have called her a 'scarlet woman'… but what she really was, in her own humble opinion, was a genius. She saw what she wanted, and just went for it. So simple.

It had taken a lot of soul-searching yesterday, along with a few tears, for her to finally realise that her childhood dream of someday being Mrs Potter was never going to happen. At least she'd managed to kill off that absurd crush and become more of a friend to him over the last year. While she'd hoped it might have led to something more in time, that was never going to happen now.

Luna's attention would, if nothing else, shake Hermione out of her complacency. She had no chance of competing against Harry's best friend if– no, _when_ the girl finally acknowledged her feelings towards him.

_'Wait a minute…two days?'_ She'd almost missed it. If Harry and Luna got together on Monday, then that meant Luna was wherever Harry was. Didn't Luna say something about going overseas with her dad to look for some creatures… Yes! Of course! Harry and the others had followed her overseas which is why Hedwig was hanging around here. Harry wouldn't make her fly all that way when there wasn't anyone he could send letters to over there.

Thinking about Harry and Luna at the reading brought her thoughts back to Susan. Wasn't it just like Harry to worry about her? He certainly had a knack for collecting life debts. '_Hermione in his first year, yours truly in his second, and probably Justin as well.' _After all, didn't he stop Malfoy's conjured snake from attacking him? He also managed to free Dobby. Let's see, there was Sirius, Buckbeak, Pettigrew and Hermione again in his third year.

Was there anyone in his fourth year? What about Fleur's sister? Did it count if he thought she was in real danger even if she wasn't? Fifth year there was his stupid Muggle cousin, and of course, dad. Then he went to the Ministry expecting to find Tom there torturing Sirius… that one didn't work out, but he wasn't to know it was one of Tom's tricks. Which brought her up to Susan. Quite a collection of debts, and those were just the ones she remembered. Maybe there were others she'd forgotten or hadn't heard about.

So, while it had seemed really romantic at the time to have her very own hero slay a giant monster with a sword to save her, in reality it seemed there was nothing personal about it. She was just the _'victim du jour'_ for him to save.

Definitely time to pack the dream away, and work on just being a good friend instead.

Besides, there could be an upside to putting the fantasy aside. She was one of the very few girls that had noticed Neville's transformation from a shy, plant-obsessed, bumbling boy, into a Death Eater-fighting, confident, funny, and fairly good-looking guy. He was going to get noticed next year, so she'd have to take a leaf out of Luna's book and make her move before someone else did.

She pulled out some parchment and started to write a letter to Neville. She would try and arrange a meeting so that they could talk over ideas on how and when they could get the DA together over the summer. This would be a chance to see if there could be any spark between them.

Glancing out the window, she saw Hedwig in the tree again. She was willing to bet she wouldn't have to ask Ron to borrow Pig.

~o~

Emma was sitting with Dan talking over the morning's Apparition lesson with Remus, when she looked up and happened to notice Luna walking back to camp alone. Nudging her husband, she nodded in Luna's direction.

Dan looked over briefly, and then nodded his understanding back to her. They both understood that Luna's plan had obviously been successful, else Harry would be with her.

As she got closer, they could hear her humming a happy tune that sounded vaguely familiar to them. She greeted them all as she walked past them and into her tent.

Emma was almost at the point of getting up to go and check on her, when both Luna and her father came out of the tent. They were having an incomprehensible conversation about something Xeno had seen that morning, and it appeared they were going off to go investigate it.

The Grangers shared a slightly relieved look that Luna seemed fine, before being distracted by Remus clearing his throat.

"I don't suppose either of you would care to explain what that was all about, would you?" he asked hopefully.

"That wouldn't be our first preference." Dan replied.

"I see. Well, how far down the list would we have to go before you could explain it?" he asked with a smile.

Dan chuckled at the reply, then looked over at his wife who gave him an almost imperceptible shrug. "It's really not our place to say, Remus. But I suppose it will become obvious soon enough if what we think has happened, has actually happened."

Remus took the bait. "So what do you _think_ has happened?"

"We think that Luna has just talked Harry and Hermione into dating each other for a few days." Emma replied, laughing at the man's bemused expression.

~o~

The headmaster sensed the man outside the door and called out "enter" before there was a need to knock at the door.

"You sent for me, Headmaster?" his potions professor asked.

"I sent for you _yesterday_, Severus." Dumbledore said, reprovingly.

If Snape was surprised at the tone, it didn't seem to affect his reply. "My apologies, Headmaster, but the Dark Lord summoned me first. Between his demands and the difficulty in escaping my house guest, I wasn't able to get here any sooner."

Dumbledore frowned. "Why would you need to 'escape' Pettigrew, as you put it, in order to see me?"

"What do you mean, Headmaster?" Snape asked curtly.

"Voldemort knows that you work for me, Severus, even if he doesn't suspect that you spy for me as well. Why would you need to 'escape' Pettigrew in order to respond to my request for a meeting?"

"Perhaps my choice of words was… imprecise. I should have said that this was the soonest that I could respond without causing undue suspicion."

Dumbledore didn't look pleased with the response, but chose not to pursue it further. "Very well. Were you involved in the raid at the Bones' house?"

"The Dark Lord summoned me and ordered me to take part in the attack. I had no choice but to obey him." Snape answered steadily.

"Did you know that Susan Bones was still there?"

"Headmaster, what are you asking? Perhaps more to the point, what answer do you hope to receive?" Snape asked.

"I would hope to hear, Severus, that you would have found a way to protect Miss Bones."

"Of course I would have done so if it had been possible."

"_'Possible',_ Severus?"

"Yes, _'possible',_ Headmaster. Anti-Apparition wards were in place as I'm sure you would have already realised. What would you have had me do? Attack the other Death Eaters, and then throw off my mask and announce myself as a spy to Miss Bones? Trusting that she believed me so that I can get close enough to her that we could both have used my emergency portkey?"

"Miss Bones was an innocent, Severus! She should have been defended."

"As much as it pains me to admit it, I'm not sure that I could have taken down the three other Death Eaters in the room, even if I had thought to try. Since one of them was Pettigrew, he would have transformed and escaped to tell the story of what happened. Even if he hadn't, how else could the girl's escape have come about unless I had helped? My usefulness as a spy would have come to an end, along with my life shortly afterwards."

"So you would have allowed her to be killed?"

Snape didn't respond.

"Severus, you disappoint me. You should have done what was right, instead of what was easy."

"I see, Headmaster. Tell me, when I advised you of the Dark Lord's intention to attack Bones Manor, why did you not inform Madame Bones of this?"

Dumbledore peered over his glasses at Snape and didn't reply.

"Why did you not discuss with her your reasons for allowing her ancestral manor to be destroyed in order to help cement the Dark lord's trust in me? It would have had the advantage of ensuring Miss Bones' safety, if nothing else. Would it not?"

Snape stared at the unresponsive wizard in front of him.

"No answer, then, Headmaster? In that case, I must continue to believe that it was your fault that Miss Bones was in danger, and my presence or absence at the Manor yesterday was irrelevant. We should both be glad that you thought to send your phoenix to rescue her–"

At mention of the phoenix, Snape's head turned quickly to the perch as though just noticing for the first time that it was empty.

"Where is Fawkes? It is unlike him to be away so soon after a burning."

He looked closer at the headmaster, trying to read the man's expression. "Where is your phoenix, Headmaster?" he asked softly.

"Enough, Severus. There was another matter I wished to discuss with you. Your Occlumency lessons with Harry. Why did you not try to teach him."

Snape waved off the question. 'He is untrainable. You asked the impossible. He could no more occlude his mind than he could brew a decent potion."

"What did you do?" Dumbledore asked tiredly, quite sure that he didn't want to hear the answer.

"I gave him a taste of what he could expect from the Dark Lord. I thought that it might provide him some incentive to improve his attitude and wake up to the harsh realities of life. Make him see that he doesn't have time to waste on useless pursuits. But, of course, it didn't work."

Snape started pacing as he became angrier "His arrogance is completely beyond all limits. The _first_ opportunity he had – the _very first_ time I left him alone – he used it to pry into the thoughts I'd placed in the pensieve. As though he had a _right_ to them!"

Snape now came to a stop in front of the Headmaster's desk and looked at him coldly. "Your precious Potter came into the first lesson without _any_ inclination to treat the lessons – and _my time_ – with respect, and that didn't change in any of the subsequent ones. He got _exactly_ what he deserved, and I will _not_ attempt to teach him again!"

Dumbledore met Snape's cold stare impassively. "No, Severus, you will not. Though, given what you have just admitted to doing, I cannot understand how you can believe you ever attempted to teach him in the first place. Your hatred of James has blinded you to the boy in your class. All you can see is his father made young again.

"Tell me, Severus, in your _'lessons'_, did you not have an opportunity to see for yourself the childhood Harry experienced? Did he truly grow up as the arrogant, pampered celebrity that you continually accuse him of being?"

Snape flinched involuntarily, and his glare flickered only momentarily, but long enough for Dumbledore to notice it.

"It seems we both have some thinking to do, Severus. In the meantime, Nymphadora seems to have taken a direct interest in young Harry, and having used some legilimency of her own, has seen your… _lessons_ with him. She has tasked me with ensuring you do not come anywhere near either Harry or herself."

"So she intends to _punish me_ for mistreating precious Potter then?" Snape said, defaulting to his usual sneer.

"Actually, Severus, I quite believed her when she said she intended to kill you for what you had done if you should come near either of them. It seems that Harry is related to the Blacks, as Sirius referred to him as 'cousin' in his will. I can only assume that Tonks was already aware of this, as she was extremely protective."

The latest death threat didn't appear to concern Snape at all, though clearly his patience was at an end.

"Indeed. Well, I can only imagine the mutt left Potter everything, then, so he'll be even more insufferable than before. If that will be all, Headmaster?" Snape was almost spitting in his frustration.

"Almost, Severus. I assume you received instructions from Minerva?"

An angry nod was the only reply.

"Very well. She has my support in this and I recommend that you comply. I cannot help you if you will not help yourself, Severus. My door is open to you, of course, if you should ever need to talk, or let off some steam as the case may be. Please see me before doing anything… rash, and do not give her cause to terminate your employment."

Another curt nod, and the man turned and left the office.

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh. Severus' view of the world was permanently tainted by the mark he wore, and few people gave him the credit he deserved for what he did. His path was a difficult and lonely one.

He looked over at the empty perch and sighed again. _I wish I still had your support, old friend._

~o~

Hermione's thoughts were on Harry as they walked slowly back to the camp hand in hand. _Were they better off as friends?_ This was the thought that she kept returning to, and she thought she knew why.

The impromptu kissing session she'd instigated after he'd unexpectedly asked her to be his girlfriend hadn't been as satisfying as she'd hoped. She certainly didn't have anything to compare it with, but somehow she had imagined there would be something more to it than just the pleasant feeling of being held and kissed. There should have been a 'spark' of something; a feeling that confirmed that this was where she should be, and this was who she should be with.

But as much as she wanted to, she just didn't feel it. What was worse was that she suspected she knew why. Luna had claimed him first, and thanks to his unwavering loyalty he was simply incapable of letting her go so easily.

How could she possibly compete against that? She quickly suppressed the suggestion that her intellectual side offered her. She had absolutely no intention of doing _'that'_ just to try and win him over. For one thing, she had a feeling that it wouldn't work with him anyway, and for another, even if it did work it would just make things worse. She'd have lost her respect for him as well as for herself.

_'Maybe we should just stay friends then…'_ she thought again as a tear trickled down her cheek.

"Hermione…"

_'Oh, bugger!'_ She thought, as Harry's voice broke her out of her thoughts. His tone was apologetic, and she cursed the fact that she seemed to be an open book to him. How could he be so clueless about some things, and yet so insightful about others? Was there a pattern to it? Maybe if she could figure it out she'd have a better chance of working out–

"Hermione… I'm sorry." Harry said, interrupting her thoughts again and sending her into waves of guilt for not responding to him earlier. Focussing on a topic used to be so easy for her, so how did he manage to confuse her so much that she couldn't even concentrate on the here and now? Wasn't this proof that she really was in love with him after all? She'd certainly read enough stories to suggest that women in love–

She was interrupted again as she felt Harry's grip on her hand loosen as his hand relaxed. It was only her own grip on his hand that kept them joined together.

"Maybe it would be best if I just…" he began, his voice sounded full of misery.

Hermione finally looked at him and saw his hurt look. It occurred to her that she still hadn't said anything and she mentally slapped herself as she moved in front of him to grab him in a tight hug before he could get away.

She started murmuring in his ear. "No. Don't go. I'm sorry, Harry. I just got lost in my thoughts, and it–… just don't go," she finished lamely.

She had been about to say that it wasn't his fault, but it was, wasn't it? If he'd responded to her kissing properly instead of holding himself back, then they'd still be on that loveseat now enjoying their kissing… Oh, alright, snogging then. Surely there was a better term for kissing and cuddling?

Anyway, the kiss they'd shared before Luna left had held more emotion than their snogging had, so why–

She felt Harry squeeze her back and it broke her train of thought again. She resolved to try and keep her focus on Harry. She adjusted her hold on him and her left arm moved from his waist further up his body in order to pull him closer to her. Her hand reached his neck and the back of his head and she was surprised, again, at the smoothness of his head. His lack of hair was going to take some getting used to.

She felt as much as heard Harry sigh as her hand explored his head, and she released her grip so that she could look at him.

"What is it, Harry?" she asked. "Are you worried about your lack of hair?"

He gave her a shrug in response, and she started to wonder if his lack of response to her earlier might have been at least partly due to a lack of confidence due to his new baldness.

"Well, it is going to take a little getting used to. But you know, Harry. Some women get turned on by bald men."

He looked at her in surprise, and there was an unspoken question in his eyes that she felt was so obvious to her that it seemed he must have shouted it. _'Are you one of them?'_

She cocked her head and made a point of looking him over before looking back in his eyes. "Honestly, Harry. I think I prefer you with hair, but it really doesn't bother me that much…" she paused before continuing, then said "…and it didn't seem to bother Luna either."

Harry reacted to hearing Luna's name just as she expected he would. "I'm sorry, Hermione," he said after a while.

"Apology accepted, Harry. It's hardly your fault after all. You've been thrown into this without much choice in the matter, so I honestly don't blame you."

She gave him a cheerful smile, or at least one as cheerful as she could make it. "Why don't we stop worrying about it, and just see how we go the next few days? We're still friends aren't we?"

Harry relaxed as though her comment about being friends released some tension that had been building up. "We'll always be friends, Hermione, no matter what else we are."

She gave him a bright smile. "Good! Then let's get back so we can get ready for that meeting with Vanir."

She took his hand again and they started walking back to camp. She wasn't sure about Harry the boyfriend, but she certainly needed Harry the best friend. _'Maybe we should just stick to being friends?'_

"Hermione?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"I'll try harder," he said sincerely.

She squeezed his hand tighter, not trusting her voice as her throat tightened up. Swallowing, she said softly. "Thank you, Harry."

~o~

Andromeda Tonks reread the letter that had just been delivered and smiled.

Her husband walked up to her and peered briefly at the letter. It was his 'subtle' way of showing his interest in what had caused her smile, and it was up to her to either tilt it towards him or away from him at her discretion.

"Guess who's coming to dinner?" she said, handing him the letter.

Ted read through the letter and stared at her. "You believe this then, 'Dromeda?" he asked, his own disbelief evident in his voice.

But his wife had already twirled away with a happy chuckle, and headed into the kitchen.

"Guess so…" he muttered to himself.

~o~

"Kreacher!"

"Madame Bones calls for Kreacher?" the old elf asked after he popped into the room.

"Yes, Kreacher. I wonder if you can take a message to someone for me. I would like this letter to be delivered to Kingsley Shacklebolt. Are you able to do this for me and wait for a reply?"

"Kreacher lives to serve. The Lord Black has said that Kreacher must assist you with anything you need and Kreacher will obey, but Kreacher is not sure that he knows Kingsley Shacklebolt."

"Kingsley is a tall wizard. His skin is quite dark, and I believe he would have been in this house before."

"Kreacher knows a wizard like that. He will take the letter to him for you and ask his name and wait for a reply."

"Thank you, Kreacher. That will be all."

Kreacher took the letter, bowed to her, and then popped away.

~o~

Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge read the invitation from the Wizengamot that Weatherby handed him.

It seemed that without the… contributions from Lucius, many of the members seemed to think it was all his fault that Lord Thingy had returned, and they wanted to make their feelings on the matter known.

Well, perhaps this would work out well enough after all. After all, the Minister for Magic was undoubtedly top of the 'people-to-be-killed' list.

Well then, since the outcome was inevitable, why not make it his own decision? He could make some grandiose declaration about trying to do the best for the wizarding world, and then take responsibility for his 'mistake' by resigning.

If he resigned before the Wizengamot met, then any dirty laundry they thought they had on him would be left unaired, as he would no longer be a target. Besides, they all knew that he had just as much to say about them as they had on him. Slytherins always did.

There was also a lot to be said for waiting in the sidelines until after it was all over, and then making another run for the job. The sheep would recall that things were fine while he was in charge, and the usurper, whoever it was, would take all the blame for anything that occurred while You-Know-Who was running around.

And if Dumbledore didn't take care of the problem, well, he still had that portkey ready to take him to the permanently warm beaches of Tenerife.

"Weatherby. Take down this letter. _It is with the greatest regret, that I must submit my resignation as the Minister for Magic…_"

Percy's hands shook as he wrote down what his soon-to-be-ex-employer dictated to him. He was fully aware of the old adage of the new broom sweeping clean, and he held little hope that he would be able to avoid the clean sweep that would soon follow.

~o~

"Thank you again, Fawkes," Hermione said as she and Harry arrived once again in the Swedish international Portkey terminal. "From _both_ of us." Hermione added, giving Harry a glare at his silence.

Harry merely raised an eyebrow and then tilted his head to look at the phoenix on his shoulder. After a moment of silent communication, Fawkes hopped across to Hermione's shoulder and nudged her cheek with his head in acknowledgement of her thanks.

Hermione blushed and gave Harry an apologetic look. "Sorry, Harry. I forgot you don't need to talk aloud to Fawkes. I guess you'd already said your thanks, then?"

He nodded. "He reminded me earlier today that I'd been taking him for granted when I asked him to take a book to Ginny. So I was going to ask Prof… Minerva to make us a portkey. But then I got worried that Fawkes might feel offended, so in the end I gave him the choice."

"How did he reply exactly?" Hermione asked, trying to keep the burning curiosity from her voice.

Harry grinned at her, not fooled for an instant. "He jumped on my shoulder and took a firm grip to indicate he wasn't going anywhere. Anyway, we can chat more about Fawkes later, if you like. We'd better head over, as it looks like Vanir's waiting," he gestured over at the counter where Vanir was standing and staring at them.

Hermione stopped stroking the phoenix, something she'd started doing shortly after he'd hopped onto her shoulder, and took Harry's hand again as they walked towards the arrivals counter.

Harry found himself intrigued by Vanir's stares. He expected him to look at Fawkes, and his forehead now that he knew the scar was there, but he was surprised at the attention he was paying to his head. Could he see through the glamour Minerva has cast before they left?

Halfway to the counter, he heard the sound of an apparition pop behind him. Turning quickly around, he watched as Tonks started scanning for him after just apparating in. She stalked up to the two teens and didn't look too pleased.

"Oi! What's the big idea leaving me behind? How come I had to find out about this little lunch date from Minerva?"

As she spoke she was peering at his head and giving a small frown. "You know, you really should have come to me with this. There's a little trick the Aurors learn in concealment that helps reduce the _glow_ of a glamour. Well, nothing to do about it at the moment in the open like this, but when we get somewhere a little more private, I'll fix it up.

"What do you mean by 'glow'?" Hermione asked, looking at Harry's illusory hair and failing to see any glow.

"I'll tell you later," she said, noticing the two teens holding hands. She looked at Harry with an unreadable expression on her face. "We're going to have a nice long chat soon, about a topic or _three_, aren't we?"

Harry didn't think that sounded much like a question at all, and going by her earlier comments, he realised he should have told Tonks about their trip this morning… or should he? Did he need to tell everyone everything he was doing or planning, or just Tonks? He appreciated their help, but–

He broke off his train of thought with the new mantra he'd adopted. _'Stop and think!'_ Is this the right attitude for Lord Black… or Lord Potter, or Potter-Black? Or whatever he was supposed to call himself. _'Oh, just stop your whining! You're an adult now, so act like one!'_ he reminded himself.

He smiled at her. "Sure, Tonks. I should have tried to find you before we left, but I got a little distracted. We can't have missed you by much, then?" His tone made the question obvious. How had she followed them so quickly, when he hadn't seen her since the training this morning?

"I came out of the tent just in time to see you flame out. Minerva told me where you were going, so here I am," she nodded over towards the counter. "Looks like your glamour isn't fooling him either. We'd better go say hello."

Vanir smiled ruefully at Harry and his companions as they walked up to the counter. "Good day to you all. My apologies. I didn't mean to stare but I am surprised at your new look. Did you realise your glamour is a little obvious? I didn't notice it the last time we met. Quite surprising, really."

"I wasn't using a glamour before. This is new." Harry told him.

"I…see," Vanir said dubiously, not seeing at all. Why would the boy be wearing a glamour that mimicked the haircut he'd worn the previous day? The more interesting problem was this new person that arrived after them. Was she supposed to know what these two were up to?

"Well, then, I believe it's time for my lunch break," he announced, waiting for their response.

"Great. Shall we go then? You can show us where you would like to eat." Harry replied.

"Of course, "Vanir replied, understanding the new young woman was to be included now. "But first, I will fix that glamour for you."

As Vanir went to draw his wand, he hesitated at the looks both young women gave him as they placed their hands on their own wands. He drew it more slowly, and looked steadily at the older of the two before turning his attention to Harry. He waved his wand in an intricate series of movements, finishing with a spin similar to something a baton twirler might use, before he pocketed his wand again.

Tonks peered at Harry, and then cast an appraising look at Vanir that clearly indicated her intention to talk to him about the spell he'd just cast.

He smiled at her. "Now, Miss…?"

"Tonks."

"Miss Tonks. May I escort you to lunch? I assure you, you have nothing to fear from me. My wife, on the other hand…" he trailed off.

"Your wife isn't going to have any reason to worry. Alright, come on then."

Vanir smiled and led them out the main entrance. There was a restaurant nearby that he liked to dine at, but rarely found the opportunity to do so.

~o~


	23. Chapter 23: Letters and Lunches

**Thoughts of Pudding by Brian64.**

**Chapter 23: Letters and Lunches.**

_Thursday 27th June, 1996._

Kingsley thought he recognised the old house elf that had appeared in the office, but had run into so many elves during his career that for the life of him, he couldn't remember where he'd seen this one before. After giving his name in response to the elf's enquiry, he was handed a letter, before the elf scurried off to hide under his desk out of sight of any Muggles that might come in to see their Prime Minister.

Opening the envelope, he read the parchment carefully, unconsciously matching the handwriting and phrasing to his memories of other messages and conversations he'd held with his boss. _This does sound like one of Amelia's_, he thought to himself, while the rest of his mind was trying to take in the actual message. By the time he reached the end of the letter, he was fervently wishing he wasn't so certain the letter was from her.

He rolled his chair back from his desk a little so that he could see the elf sitting on the floor underneath it.

"Kreacher, I'll have a reply for you to take back to Madam Bones soon."

The house elf simply nodded and went back to slowly rocking backwards and forwards as he waited. Kingsley thought he could almost hear the old elf muttering to himself, but it was too indistinct to make out.

He reached for some paper to write his reply, and wrote a few words before the letterhead at the top of the page percolated through his subconscious mind and he screwed it up into a ball. Opening his printer's paper feed tray, he took out a blank sheet of paper and started again. It wouldn't do for his name or any clues pointing to him to be on this letter.

Rolling his chair back again, he watched as the elf's attention quickly focussed on the letter in his hands. "I have the reply for Madam Bones for you to take to her. She wants me to keep her informed of things that I learn, so will you come to me if I call for you, or must I wait for her to send you to me?

Kreacher thought about that for a minute, studying the wizard as he did so. "Kreacher serves Master Black, and Master Black has told Kreacher to help Madam Bones and Susan Bones with anything. So… Kreacher will come if you have a message for them."

Kingsley had started to extend the letter to Kreacher when something occurred to him from what the elf had just said, and he pulled his hand back.

"Are you also able to take a message to Lord Black for me, Kreacher?"

"Does Mr Shacklebolt have a message for Master Black?" Kreacher asked cautiously.

"Not yet, but if I did have a message for him, could you deliver it? Do you know where he is?

The house elf considered the question. "Kreacher is a Black family elf. He can always find his Master Black."

"Where is he?"

Kreacher started pulling on his ears as he thought about the question. "Master hasn't told Kreacher to obey Kingsley Shacklebolt, so Kreacher doesn't think he should answer him."

Kingsley nodded, and then added a postscript to his letter before handing it to Kreacher. The old elf disappeared as soon as Kingsley released it, not waiting for a dismissal or farewell.

Kingsley sat thinking about Amelia's letter and what Kreacher had said for some time afterwards.

~o~

Narcissa was enjoying a salad containing bite-sized broccoli florets, cashews, red onion, raisins, and with some crispy bacon crumbled into it. As she savoured her lunch, she noticed her son enter the dining room. He stood there silently for a moment as she looked at him, and then he quietly took a seat at the table. Perhaps he was able to learn after all? It only took, what, three tantrums for him to realise that storming in and demanding his wand wouldn't achieve any results.

"Much better, Draco," she commented. "Perhaps there is a civilised young adult inside you after all."

When he didn't respond to her intentional barb, she allowed herself a small smile and acknowledged his self-control with a slight nod. "Very good. Shall we have our discussion now?"

Draco maintained his impassive mask as he replied to her question politely. "I would rather not, Mother. I had hoped you would return my wand so that I could visit Diagon Alley."

She gave a small shake of her head. "You should already know the answer to that question from your earlier… requests. First we'll talk about other things, and then we'll see about your wand."

Draco appeared to expect this as he showed no reaction this time. "Very well," he replied calmly.

Narcissa nodded again and then summoned an elf to bring Draco some lunch of his own. "Let's start with the letter Sirius left for you. What did he write to you about?"

"I have no idea. I threw it in the fire when I reached my room."

Narcissa closed her eyes and took a few slow, deep breaths in order to avoid responding the way she wanted to.

"That was remarkably foolish of you. Knowledge is power, Draco, and whether you believed what he had to say or not, the opportunity to gain knowledge or understanding of how others think helps to give you power over them, does it not?"

Draco's mask slipped a little as he grimaced at hearing one of the most basic lessons he'd learned. It was a staple credo of Slytherin house as well as the Malfoys. He nodded reluctantly.

"Well then, since we will never know what knowledge Sirius intended to provide you, we will have to assume that it was similar to what he advised me."

She gave her wand a wave and waited for her letter to appear before handing it to Draco to read. She wondered how long his control would last. She wasn't kept waiting for the answer as he started scowling almost as soon as he started reading.

"You believe this… this…" Draco shouted nearly incoherently as he stood up and threw the letter down the table in her direction.

"Control yourself!" she demanded. She glared back at him and waited until he sat down again before replying to his question.

"Yes, Draco, I believe all of it. Now which part of it do you find so hard to believe?"

"I don't believe a word of it!"

"You're exaggerating again. Be specific! Let's start with your father. Do you believe his loyalty to you or I is greater than his loyalty to Voldemort?"

Draco didn't reply, but merely continued to glare at her.

"I'll take that as a 'no' then. So, perhaps you don't believe that Harry would take care of us if we became Blacks? Before you answer, I suggest you recall that he approached us at the reading."

"I wouldn't trust Potter to care for a flobberworm!" Draco stated angrily.

"Then perhaps it is a good job that we aren't flobberworms, isn't it? Personally, I dislike putting my trust in anyone else, but given a choice between Harry Potter and your father, I'll take the former."

"You may do as you please, Mother, but I am not going to make myself subservient to a half-blood!"

Narcissa laughed at the irony of his statement. "Is that so? Then explain why you would happily take a half-blood's brand if it was offered to you, and then do his bidding, just like your father does?"

"The Dark Lord is not a half-blood! How can you believe those lies?" Draco ranted, his earlier attempts at control clearly forgotten.

Narcissa ignored his question, as there would obviously be no further rational discussion with him. She took back her letter and refolded it before responding. "I can see we're not going to get any further while you continue to ignore obvious facts. Until you can tell the difference between what you want to be the truth, and what is actually the truth then we're wasting our time."

Draco stood up to leave.

"Oh, and Draco? We will be having dinner with your Aunt Andromeda and Uncle Theodore on Saturday evening. Be sure you are ready to leave on time."

Draco paused in his march out of the room and turned slowly to face her. He didn't seem able to decide how to respond as various emotions flickered over his features, before he simply gave in to his anger and disgust. "I have no interest in visiting a blood traitor and her mudblood husband! I'll stay home."

"You are underage and therefore subject to my will, Draco, so you will do as I tell you. Now return to your room. I've listened to enough of your stupidity for one day."

She watched as Draco scowled at her before he turned and stalked off. His current attitude would get him killed eventually, and she hoped Andi could give her some advice on how she might convince him to use his head. There had to be a way to save him, there just had to be. Because as much as he annoyed her, as much as he frustrated her with his attitude, and as much as she wanted to take her wand to him sometimes there was still no denying the basic truth of the matter.

He was still her son, and she loved him.

~o~

As Vanir led the group out of the terminal, they emerged onto Platensgatan, which appeared to be a fairly busy street full of various shops. Harry noticed that the building they'd just left appeared to be nothing more than a small travel agency, ironically called 'Big Travel'. Thinking about it, he decided it made a lot more sense hiding the entrance there than behind some disused department store window like St Mungo's was back home.

Vanir led then south down the street, and as they reached the crossroads, he was about to turn left onto Ågatan when he heard a snort of laughter behind him. Turning around, he saw the boy staring at a building and grinning. "Ah! The Bar & Kök. You've heard of it then?"

Harry shook his head, still grinning. "No. What is it?"

"It is a restaurant, and also a nightclub. You would call it the bar and kitchen. Come, we are going to a different restaurant today."

After a couple of blocks, they arrived at their destination, the Restaurant Ghingis, and were seated shortly afterwards. Their waitress was an exotic beauty with dark hair nearly to her waist, and it quickly became obvious why Vanir enjoyed lunch at this venue.

Harry looked at the menu he'd been offered, and then stared at it, to see if there was anything he could work out for himself.

_1. Fisk- & skaldjurssoppa med smak av saffran toppad med gremulata-aioli, samt kladdkaka med vispgrädde_

_2. Krämig biff Stroganoff med jasminris_

_3. Grillad kycklingfilé på spett m sweetchilisås o wokade grönsaker_

_4. Friterade räkor med sötsur- eller currysås_

_5. Kombo (dagens 3+4)_

_6. wokade färska grönsaker och shitakésvamp i citrongrässås_

He decided that number 2 had to be a beef stroganoff with jasmine rice, though what '_Krämig_' meant was anyone's guess. As long as it didn't mean 'month-old' or 'pickled' he'd make do. Looking around the table he could see Hermione biting her lip with a look of confusion on her face as she studied her menu, while Tonks had already dropped hers on the table and was looking around at the décor.

As Vanir decided on his own meal selection, he looked up to see three people staring at him, and it didn't take him long to realise why. "Ah, you would like to know what the choices are, yes? Well, the first is a fish and seafood soup, the second is a creamy beef stroganoff, and the third is grilled chicken skewers with a sweet chilli sauce and stir fried vegetables. The fourth choice is prawns in either sweet and sour or curry sauce. The fifth is a combo of the 3rd and 4th choices, and the last is stir fried vegetables and shitake mushrooms in lemongrass."

It didn't take long for everyone to decide on their meals, and as the waitress left their table with their orders, Vanir's eyes followed her every move until she entered the kitchen. He turned back around to again find three people looking at him, though this time there seemed to be a lot more smirking than confusion. He merely gave them a 'what-can-you-do-when-she's-so-beautiful' shrug and smiled.

He turned to Hermione. "I think you are wondering about the question you asked me yesterday, am I right, unga dam?"

At Hermione's nod he continued. "Very well, I have made a list of the spells you might want to know and their Swedish incantations. I believe the wand movements for each spell are the same as you are used to, but there may be some differences. I've made some notes about the gestures, but I don't think they will be needed." He handed her the notebook that he had been working on since their last meeting, and Hermione accepted it with excitement.

"Remember what I said though, you will need a Swedish magic user to help you learn these spells as you don't know the language," Vanir said, trying to instil some caution so that they didn't get too disappointed.

"I understand, Vanir, but I don't believe it will be quite as difficult as you think. After all, none of us speak Latin, and yet we are still able to cast spells based on that language."

"That is true, but you heard the spells pronounced correctly first, and then imitated the pronunciation taught to you by others, yes?" he asked.

Hermione was about to argue when Harry nudged her. As she turned to face him he quoted something she had once told Ron. "Make the 'gar' nice and long". Realising what he was really saying she nodded her agreement. Pronunciation was important.

Harry then demonstrated his knack for problem solving with his next question. "Vanir, I will be getting a Pensieve tomorrow evening. Do you think you, or perhaps someone you trust, could give me some memories of the correct casting of those spells you've listed? We could use those to learn the correct casting and pronunciation couldn't we?"

"You are getting a Pensieve? Truly?" Vanir asked in wonder.

Harry nodded. "Originally it was going to be given to me on loan, but I've been told I will be given it to keep."

Vanir thought for a while as though imagining all of the things he might do with a Pensieve, before slowly nodding his head as he returned to the original question. "Yes, Harry Potter, a Pensieve with the right memories would be as good as having a personal trainer. Very well, once you have the Pensieve, contact me and we will make arrangements so that I can place some memory lessons in it for you to study."

With the business concluded, they were then able to have a pleasant lunch discussing some of the sights and shops the tourists had seen so far.

~o~

As the snowy owl approached Longbottom manor, she could see that her target was not actually in the manor itself, and followed the pull into the large greenhouse behind it. Swooping down silently, she decided to surprise her target and waited until the last few seconds before flapping her wings noisily to arrest her momentum and land on a nearby post.

"Hedwig! You startled me!" the boy said as he clutched a fist to his chest as though checking that his heart was still beating. "Did you do that on purpose?" he asked, smiling at her.

_'Well, yes, I felt like having some fun,'_ Hedwig replied, despite knowing that the human wouldn't be able to understand her.

"Right, well I'm going to assume that means 'yes' anyway, 'cause I know what you're like. It's good to see you, girl. Is that a message from Harry for me?"

Neville watched as Hedwig ruffled her feathers a little and giving him the impression that she didn't entirely agree with what he was saying, but extended her leg towards him anyway.

Removing the letter, he saw his name written in an unfamiliar hand before opening it up to read.

_Hi Neville,_

_Sorry if you were expecting a letter from Harry, but it's just me, Ginny._

_How have you been? I'm kind of picturing you reading this in a massive greenhouse, taking a break from fighting off some unruly venomous tentaculas or something like that. Poor tentaculas, they just don't know what they're up against do they?_

_Anyway, I met some of our friends briefly at the will reading for Sirius Black, and Hermione suggested that I talk to you about getting the DA together for some training this summer so that we can better defend ourselves. I think it's a brilliant idea myself, and it would be a great excuse to spend more time with you, and any of the other DA members that wanted to join in of course._

_So what do you think? Ha, silly question. I know you're going to say yes, since it will help us all look after ourselves. You're so much like Harry when it comes to helping others that you could almost be twins._

_Well, I better finish this off before Hedwig decides to snatch it out of my hands. It's like she knows when you're finished writing what you want to say, and doesn't have any patience for you just sitting there trying to think of something else to add. Have you noticed that? Merlin, I love that owl to bits… and now she's staring at me. Yes, gorgeous, I'm writing about you. Deal with it you silly bird._

_Right, I'm eagerly waiting for your reply, so stop messing about with those tentaculas and get on with it!_

_Love,_

_Ginny._

_PS. Do you know that nobody has taken me dancing since you took me to the yule ball?_

_PPS. I like dancing._

Hedwig watched as the human read the letter, and judging from his expression, it seemed that the mating ritual the red plumed one had started would be successful.

"Bloody hell!" he exclaimed before looking at her. "What do you think Hedwig? It almost sounds like she wants to be my, uh, girlfriend doesn't it?"

Owls didn't tend to roll their eyes when exasperated, but Hedwig still managed to indicate her disbelief at the question. Did the red one need to build a nest in front of him before he'd realise that?

"Uh, never mind. Maybe I should talk to gran about inviting some people over and then send her a reply. Are you okay with staying for a while?"

She barked her agreement and then with a lightning fast movement, she bit the head off a tentacula that was getting too close to her. She looked imperiously on as the rest all found other things of interest to investigate.

~o~

Amelia scowled at the letter Kreacher had given her. Kingsley hadn't heard about the attack on her manor yesterday, so had no idea what condition it was in, or what investigations were underway. He had agreed to keep her informed of happenings in the Muggle world though, and that was half of her intelligence requirements taken care of. The next step was to set up some form of regular communication with her Head Auror while she remained in hiding.

Hiding! The very idea was anathema to her. She didn't rise to become the head of the DMLE by avoiding risks, but she did have Susan to think of. There was no way she could leave her niece alone in this… house all day with only that strange house elf for company. But then, she couldn't stay hidden away here either. Scuttlebutt had it that the Wizengamot was going to be calling for Fudge's head, and she wanted to be there to see the arse thrown out. Then maybe she could finally have him tied to a chair doused in veritaserum.

Shaking off her pleasant musings, she brought herself back to the topic at hand. What was the best way to keep in touch with Rufus? Obviously Kreacher could deliver messages and pick them up, but she wasn't particularly happy with that idea. At the moment, Kreacher was their only link to the outside world, and she didn't want to risk losing that link by having him captured or killed because someone learned or guessed that he was her courier. Constant Vigilance and all that.

Well, there was nothing for it but to send Kreacher off with a message for him. Until she could think of a way to keep Susan safe she couldn't afford to– wait a minute! If Harry was safe wherever he was, then maybe she could stay wherever Harry was hiding?

Based on the will reading, she was fairly certain those two girls were with him, as well as Tonks and apparently McGonagall and Lupin to look after them. It shouldn't even be that hard to arrange if Kreacher could get a message to Harry as Kingsley suggested.

First things first though. There was a letter to Rufus to write, and a response to receive. Truth be told she wasn't in any hurry to suggest her plan to Susan, as the girl would pester her day and night about leaving once she'd heard it. Besides, if Susan left then she'd be stuck in this creepy house with only the creepy house-elf for company, and that was no way to relax after a stressful day.

~o~

Hermione was having a wonderful afternoon. The combination she'd selected for lunch had proved to be quite delicious, especially those curried prawns! There was also the promise of learning some new spells in Swedish in a few days, along with the other things they were going to be taught.

What she was really enjoying though was the time spent with Harry; talking and holding hands. It seemed her suggestion to Harry that they ignore their 'girlfriend/boyfriend' status and just be close friends had done the trick.

After lunch they'd decided to simply wander around Linköping doing some sightseeing and window shopping, and to their delight, Vanir had decided to join them for a couple of hours as a tour guide.

He'd waved off their concerns about getting in trouble at work when he'd suggested it, assuring them that as he was in charge and Sören knew how to contact him if an emergency arose, then there was no real need for him to be there. Besides, as he pointed out, his role included making tourists welcome; 'especially the beautiful young Auror, yes?'

It turned out that in addition to being an incorrigible flirt, Vanir was also an excellent guide. As they walked around, he was giving them some suggestions for things to do and places to visit, including taking rides on both the Gerda and the Borealis Express, as well as visiting the Sjögestad circle so that they could look at the Northern Sjögestad Runestone.

He was also giving them some information about some of the Swedish culture, and was bemoaning the fact that they hadn't arrived a week earlier, as they'd just missed the midsummer celebrations the previous Saturday, one of the biggest events on their calendar.

Hermione was beginning to agree with him as he talked about the music and dancing that took place, and of course the traditional maypoles. She was enraptured with some of the legends he talked about, including one that had young women picking seven different species of flowers on their way home from midsummer celebrations, and placing them under their pillows so that their future husbands would appear to them in a dream. She ruthlessly ignored the logical side of her mind that started going on about 'self-fulfilling prophecies' and just enjoyed the romance of the tale Vanir was spinning about his wife's description of her own dream, starring himself of course.

~o~

Dinner at the camp that evening was energetic as the group shared the details of their activities during the day. Admittedly there was a lot more interest in the stories from the Linköping group than tales of the exciting tracks Xeno and Luna had found, but everyone enjoyed the meal and conversation.

Ironically it was the discussion about how good the dinner had been that brought Harry's mood down. Talk of this dinner reminded him that tomorrow night Minerva would be meeting with Dumbledore, and Harry didn't know whether he'd ever be able to forgive the man.

It was while he was brooding over this that Remus suggested that they practice some techniques for improving their shield charms. The man was eager to make up for the problems Harry had encountered during Apparition training, and helping them tweak their shields seemed a good way to do it. He looked at the young man and waited for his response.

"Shield practice? I'm sorry, Remus, but I'm not in the mood."

Luna jumped at what she saw as a perfect opening. "Not in the mood? Mood's a thing for cattle and love-play, not fighting!"

"I'm sorry, Luna."

"Not sorry enough!' She yelled, and with a huge grin, she drew her wand and started shooting mild stinging hexes at him that Harry was forced to dodge and shield.

Emma turned to look at her husband who was laughing his head off, and she groaned. "Two of them! Oh God, there's two of them now. We'll never get any peace!"

Tonks nudged the woman as she sat beside her, thinking she was actually upset about something. "You okay, Em?"

"No, Tonks, you don't realise what's going to happen now. Unless that was just a one-off fluke from Luna, she and this laughing idiot here are probably going to spend the rest of the holiday quoting lines from films at each other. He can't help himself."

"Sorry, but I don't understand," Tonks admitted reluctantly.

"That thing Luna said about cattle and love-play? That was a line straight out of 'Dune'. That she could pick up the opportunity to use it so quickly, means she probably does that all the time, just like Dan. So, once they both realise that, they'll compete to see who can come up with a line the other doesn't recognise. It's inevitable.

Dan turned to the two women and nodded his agreement. "There can be only one!" he said, before resuming his laughter at Emma's expression.

"Will you please stop that?" she asked, swatting at his arm, knowing she was wasting her breath.

"As you wish."

Emma groaned again. "You see? He's started. We're doomed."

Tonks was all for a good laugh, but she felt hopelessly out of her depth having only been to her first film this week. She was distracted by a yell from Harry.

"Damn it, Luna, if you don't stop trying to sting me then I'm going to start firing back," he said in exasperation.

"Hit me with your best shot. Fire away!" she replied.

"Oh God, not music lyrics as well. We're doomed I tell you."

~o~

After the impromptu battle had concluded and Remus had the chance to teach the teens the tweaks to shield casting that would give them the chance to reflect the spells back at the caster, Remus then took Harry aside for a talk.

"So what's up? Things seemed fine during dinner, but then something triggered you off. What was it?"

Harry thought about how to answer, before deciding a simple response was best. "Dumbledore. I was reminded that Professor McGonagall–"

"Minerva, Harry."

"Damn it! I'm sick of people always correcting me! I'm not a bloody child, Remus! I've spent five years calling her _Professor_, so it's become a habit, and I'm not going to break it overnight, alright? Just lay off it."

"You're right, and I'm sorry. I'm afraid I reacted out of habit as well. Please go on with what you were saying."

Harry took a breath and worked to calm himself with his _'I am Lord Potter, I am an adult now and will act like one'_ mantra before continuing. Practice would make perfect, and if he said it enough it would become fact – or so he hoped.

"I was reminded that _Minerva_ would be dining with _Headmaster_ Dumbledore tomorrow evening, and I was trying to work out a way to go along."

Remus was about to reply, but then decided to think before responding. So far he hadn't had much success with Harry by just reacting.

"I see. Would you tell me why?"

"Because after finding out from my parents' will that he cast the Fidelius that night, making Pettigrew the Secret-Keeper, I want to hear for myself why he allowed Sirius to rot in Azkaban. He's supposed to be this great leader of the light, but when I think about what he's done to me he seems more like a dark lord.

"Oh, Harry. I don't think you really believe that, do you? I know he's made some mistakes but his heart is in the right place."

"So _you_ say. But at the moment I can't see how I can believe you. I want to, because having one wizard and his followers out for my blood is quite enough to deal with. But I need to hear his reasons for myself. I also want to find out whether he can do anything for the Dursleys. I don't like them, but I don't really want them killed either."

Remus thought about it for a while, and then nodded. "Alright, Harry. I'll talk to the others and see if I can't get them to agree for you to go along as well. I don't mind telling you that we've been getting more and more concerned about Minerva and Alastor meeting him at Hogwarts. Once inside, they won't be able to apparate or portkey out while within the wards."

He paused a moment to think. "You know, having you going along as well is going to triple everyone's concern, but perhaps having Fawkes with you may tip the balance in your favour. He'll be able to flame you all away – as long as he is prepared to ignore what Albus wishes of course."

He clapped Harry on the shoulder as a parting gesture. "Leave it with me. I'll find a way to talk them into letting you go, and you can send Albus a message via Fawkes tomorrow."

"Thanks, Remus," Harry said in parting as the man left to talk to the adults.

~o~

_Friday 28th June, 1996._

When Hermione awoke the next morning, it was to an empty room. She couldn't help but be a little concerned as to whether her friendship with Luna had been affected by the previous day's… everything. That she had spent the day with Harry as her boyfriend was something that Luna had pushed for, so there shouldn't be any ill feelings about that. Should there?

She also wondered whether sleeping alone in her own bed might have seemed like a snub to the girl, since they'd been sharing one recently. Admittedly Hermione was in two minds about that. There was no denying the unexpected comfort she gained from having a caring friend cuddling up to you, but at the same time she felt cramped and uncomfortable as the beds weren't really big enough for two people.

Besides, having Tonks find them yesterday morning had been highly embarrassing, not to mention how mortified she'd been at having Harry see them in their wet pyjamas. It was mostly for that reason she hadn't joined Luna in her bed last night when she'd finally gone to their room. She'd told herself that Luna was already asleep and so didn't want to disturb her, but she could be more honest with herself this morning.

As she walked over to the area they'd been using for their training, Hermione could see Luna bouncing around as she warmed up. She greeted the girl normally, receiving a cheerful good morning in reply, and then started her own warming up by performing the stretching exercises that Tonks had taught them yesterday.

Tonks herself showed up a couple of minutes later from the direction of the lake. "Morning, girls. Have you seen Harry yet?"

Sighing in exasperation at their negative responses, Tonks headed off back towards the tents, and had almost reached them when she saw Harry approaching at a jog.

"Sorry, Tonks. I'm not too late am I?"

"Nope, we're just about to start. Still, you didn't need to worry about getting that glamour put back on when it's just us. Does it really bother you that much?"

"Huh?"

Tonks pointed towards his head. "Your hair glamour. The girls don't seem to mind that much, and I don't either, so you don't need to hold up training just to get someone to put it on you. Hmm, mind you, it's a better job than yesterday. No glow at all," she said, looking at his head in approval.

"It must be the same one from yesterday, Tonks, 'cause I haven't had anyone casting spells at me this morning. Wasn't it supposed to last this long?"

At Tonks shaking head and curious look, he offered a possible explanation. "Maybe Vanir did something different?"

"Maybe…" Tonks replied distractedly as something else occurred to her and she moved closer to Harry, reaching a hand up to his head.

As her hand encountered hair she pulled it back as though burned, before reaching forward with both hands and running them over his whole head, confirming that his head really was covered in hair.

She was finding breathing to be an issue now. Could he be another one? What were the odds? Then again, his gran was a Black, so maybe…

"Harry, do you have any idea why your hair is back to normal this morning?" she asked him calmly, trying not to become too excited.

Harry shook his head in reply. "Uh, not really. But, uh… well, there was this one time when Aunt Petunia cut my hair but made a real mess of it. When I went to bed that night I really wished my hair was back the way it was, and in the morning it was back to normal. She never tried cutting it again after that. Are you saying my hair's back?"

As Harry said this he reached up to his head to answer his own question.

Meanwhile, Tonks ignored it entirely and continued asking her own. "And did you do the same thing last night…?"

"Well, yeah, I–" he began, before Tonks wrapped him in a tight hug.

"I can't believe it! You know what this means don't you?"

"Not really, except I'm guessing I won't have to worry about glamours anymore?"

"Harry, you're a morpher like me! Well, maybe not like me, but growing your hair back means you're a Metamorphmagus. We'll definitely be catching up to see what else you can change besides your hair when we get time. Your girlfriends are going to be _so-o-o_ lucky if you can!"

"Tonks!" Harry cried out in horror, easily realising what she meant.

"What? Didn't Remus give you the talk? He told me–"

"For the love of God, Tonks, will you _please_ stop talking about… that?"

She just waved his objections off. "Nah, you'll just have to get used to it. We can't have you running off or turning red anytime someone says something even remotely sexual around you. Get a grip on yourself… Oops, sorry. Poor choice of phrase there, but the point is; weren't you saying something about trying to act more like an adult?"

"Yeah, but…" Harry tapered off as he began to realise, again, that there was a lot more to being an adult than just being emancipated.

"Alright, fine, we'll leave it for now. But as your cousin and de-facto big-sister, you and I are going to be having some conversations to get you over your embarrassment issues."

"So you're going to be my big sister now?" Harry asked, trying to divert her from her new quest.

"Well, yeah. It's best that way I think. That way I can still hug you without wondering what you look like naked."

"Oh God! I can't believe you just said that!"

"Well I only said it to prove my point – as far as you know, right?" she said, winking at him. "Anyway, can you imagine what would happen if the Dick Lord found out about your shyness? The next time you two met up you'd be there ready to duel and he'd say something like; 'Ah, Harry Potter. The Boy-Who-Lived. Come to die… Wait! Is that another wand in your pocket? Great Merlin, you're hung like a dragon!' Next thing you know there's a million AK's coming at you while you're still blushing and distracted. Not a good way to go is it?"

Harry just stared at her helplessly, so she shrugged. "Alright, so while we wait for your brain to restart and catch up, we're late for our exercising. Let's go, mister, we've got some Tae Kwon Do training to do!"

~o~

Remus waited until the teens finished their breakfast before calling the whole group together.

"Some of you already know what we're talking about, but for everyone else, Harry made a request last night to meet up with Professor Dumbledore when Minerva goes to see him tonight. Obviously there are some concerns about that, but with Fawkes choosing to stay with Harry we think the risks are acceptable.

"Now Tonks has insisted that as Harry's bodyguard, she will be going along–"

"Too bloody right I am!"

"Thank you, Tonks. So between her, Minerva and Fawkes, Harry shouldn't have any problems – which is why Alastor has decided to stay here and help look after the camp. The reality is that with all the spells we've cast, it hardly needs protecting, however it will reassure Albus that we're apparently taking everyone's safety seriously. Are there any questions?"

The group members looked around at each other as though checking to see if anyone would speak up, but nobody did, until Moody decided to add his viewpoint.

"Potter, you see if you can't get Fawkes to stay on your shoulder once you get there, alright? If there's any trouble, his job is to bring you back. If he can bring the others as well, then that's fine, but you're the priority."

Harry just nodded his agreement. As long as he was allowed to go along tonight he'd even wear a shirt proclaiming; _'I Heart Constant Vigilance'_ if necessary.

"Alright, Harry. Minerva will write a letter shortly advising Albus of the changed arrangements. Can you see if Fawkes will take it to him? Remus asked.

Harry nodded a moment later. "He'll do it. I got the feeling he'd be happy for an excuse to visit the headmaster for a bit."

There were a few frowns at Harry's comment, as some wondered where Fawkes' loyalty truly lay.

Harry saw this and decided to nip those thoughts in the bud. "You don't have to worry. As I said on the first morning he arrived, if Fawkes wanted me there, then he'd have already flamed me back to Hogwarts."

There were a few nods and reassured expressions at the logical answer, and with the impromptu meeting now over the group dispersed to tidy up after breakfast.

~o~

Emma was feeling concerned about Luna. The girl had seemed quite distracted all morning, and Emma was worried that she wasn't taking her separation from Harry all that well. Sure it was what Luna had wanted, but perhaps she hadn't thought much beyond the idea, to what it would actually mean for her.

Getting up, she walked over to Luna, who smiled at her approach.

"Hello, Mrs Granger," Luna said, a little dreamily.

"You can call me Emma, Luna, you know that," she said, reminding the girl of the conversation they'd had while shopping. "I'm going off for a little walk. Would you like to keep me company?"

Luna tilted her head slightly as though thinking about it briefly. "Yes, I think I would like that. Thank you for asking me, Emma."

"You're welcome, Luna," Emma replied. As she set off in the direction of the lake, she noticed almost immediately that Luna hadn't reached for her hand as she had always done since they'd met at King's Cross. Reaching over, she took Luna's hand and continued walking.

When they reached the lake, Emma asked her which way she'd like to go, and Luna headed left. As they continued walking along in silence, Emma couldn't help but notice Luna peering intently at things as they walked past them. From time to time she'd release Emma's hand while she examined a bush here, a tree branch there, and for no particular reason that Emma could see, she looked under one particular rock near the lake edge.

"Are you looking for something, Luna?" Emma finally asked her.

"Oh yes, I'm always looking for something new," Luna replied.

"Anything in particular?" Emma asked, trying to keep the girl talking.

"Well, not really I suppose, but I'll never find things if I don't look for them," Luna said, now distracted by an insect flying around nearby.

"What was it about that particular rock that made you want to look underneath it?" Emma asked. She was getting a little concerned by Luna's vague behaviour.

"I liked the shape of that one more than the others. I wouldn't have minded looking under the other ones as well, but I thought it might have been a bit rude to hold you up while I looked."

"Let's go and check the others then, shall we?" Emma asked rhetorically, having already turned then back to where Luna had seen the rocks a minute earlier. "Now is there anything special I should do when looking under them?" Emma asked.

"Oh, no, not really. I try not to put my fingers underneath until I can see that there's nothing there to bite me, but that's all."

Emma nodded in agreement, and they separated and started looking under the rocks. When she noticed that Luna was careful to put the rocks back the way she'd found them, she did the same.

She found herself getting increasingly frustrated. There had to be a way of getting the 'old' Luna back, the one that had spent time chatting happily to her, not this person that seemed as though she was only accepting her presence.

Emma shrieked in alarm as she turned over the next rock, and dropped it, crawling backwards away from it.

Luna ran over, placing herself between Emma and whatever has startled her. Having already drawn her wand from its usual spot behind her ear, she was now pointing it towards the rock. "What is it? What's wrong?" Luna asked, worriedly, eyes glued to the rock and the area around it.

She felt Emma's arms wrap around her waist from behind, and she looked back over her shoulder in confusion at the older woman.

"It's okay. I'm sorry for making you worry, Luna, but I had to see if you were still in there, and I couldn't think of another way of doing it." Emma moved around so that she was facing her. "I am sorry for tricking you," she said, apologetically.

Luna nodded but didn't respond. There was an unreadable expression on her face, and Emma hoped she hadn't damaged their budding friendship.

Seeing that Luna was about to put her wand back she asked if she could conjure a sofa for them to sit on and talk.

Luna shook her head. "I'm sorry, I can't do that yet. But I can make us something to sit on that's a little more comfortable than the ground."

With that, Luna conjured what looked like a cross between an air mattress and a picnic blanket. When she went to sit on it, she found it was a little like sitting on a bean bag; awkward to do at first, but comfortable once you were settled.

"Luna, Hermione told me what you and she had planned for Harry, and it seems obvious to me that your plan has worked, and that Hermione and Harry are now dating."

Luna nodded at the implied question, but didn't say anything.

Emma waited for the girl to offer a comment, or some clarification, but she seemed content to sit there all day.

"So, what happens now?" Emma asked.

Luna looked at her in some confusion. "Well, Harry and Hermione will date for the next couple of days so that Harry has a chance to decide fairly which of us he wants to be with, and then we'll ask Harry to tell us his decision on Sunday."

"I see," Emma said, nodding, "and what will you do if Harry chooses Hermione?" she asked bluntly.

"Well, I wouldn't try to break them up, if that is what you–" Luna began.

"I know you wouldn't, Luna. It would kind of defeat the purpose of trying to get them together in the first place," Emma said, interrupting. "I was more concerned about you, and how you would take the news."

"Well, first I think I would give a little squeal of happiness for Hermione, then give her a really big hug and tell her how glad I am that she's finally together with Harry. Then I would give Harry a hug and a kiss on the cheek and tell him much the same thing. I expect I would have to reassure both of them a lot that I am really happy for them both. I think Hermione might even cry a bit, but I'll make sure I have a clean hanky to give her. Then I'd leave them alone so that they could sort out their new relationship, and I think that after a few days we would probably start spending more and more time together again."

"You seem to have given this a lot of thought," Emma remarked, a little surprised at Luna's answer.

"Well, yes of course. I don't expect any other answer on Sunday after all," Luna replied calmly.

Emma frowned. "Why not, Luna? You and Harry have been almost inseparable since I met you at King's Cross. You make a very good couple, so why do you think it's a foregone conclusion that Harry wouldn't pick you?"

"That's very nice of you to say, Emma. But really, Harry and Hermione have been together as friends for years. Honestly, they should have started dating a long time ago, but they were both too stubborn and scared that they'd ruin their friendship if the other didn't have any romantic feelings."

Emma noted that Luna had adopted one of Hermione's catch phrases.

"I told Hermione the other night that I thought you were incredibly brave for doing what you did. I think most girls would have simply held on to their boyfriend in the hope that things worked out," Emma said, trying to maintain eye contact with Luna. She meant every word she said, but she still found it a little disconcerting to meet the young girl's unblinking gaze. It felt like she was being x-rayed.

"If you don't mind me saying so, Luna, I think your mother would be very proud of you. I know I would be if I were your mum.

Luna sat rigidly as she stared at Emma, her eyes filling with tears but seemingly unsure what to do.

Emma opened her arms in invitation, and the girl almost apparated into them. Luna cried silently as Emma held her tightly while whispering reassurances in her ear.

~o~

"So, what do you want to do now?" Harry asked, as he sat down next to Hermione after taking care of the breakfast dishes.

"I don't know. What do you want to do?" Hermione replied.

"No idea, that's why I asked you," he said, shrugging.

Hermione sat thinking for a while, wondering what the two of them could do. It was obvious that neither of them were really sure how to work this relationship. Things were so much easier when they were just friends. They could just sit and relax around each other without feeling the need to 'do something' that met the other's approval. They could also just do their own thing without worrying about whether the other would feel neglected.

"Harry, remember what we said yesterday about just behaving like friends?" she asked and waited for his nod in agreement. "Well then, let's just do whatever we would have been doing before things started getting confusing. What would you have done?"

Harry thought for a moment before he replied. "I think I'm ready to open my mum's box now."

"Would you like some company?" she offered, guessing how important this would be for him.

He smiled at her. "Yeah, I'd like that. I'm not sure how much good I'll be as company though. I'll no doubt be blubbering like a baby as soon as it's open."

"I hope so."

"What?"

"Harry, you keep too much bottled up inside. You need to let it out every now and then. What better excuse than looking through that box?" She stood up and then pulled on his hand until he got up as well. "Let's go, before you change your mind."

As they entered his bedroom, Hermione noticed Fawkes was sitting on the bed's headboard, and assumed his excursion to Hogwarts had concluded. She saw Harry glance briefly in the bird's direction, before he drew his wand and cast an incendio charm on the rocks at the edge of the nest he'd made when Fawkes first arrived. She watched as a stream of fire emerged from his wand, and started playing around the rocks until all of them were glowing red and giving off heat.

Fawkes flew over almost as soon as the charm ended and made himself comfortable. As he did so, Hermione couldn't help wondering what it would be like to be so in tune with another being that you just knew what to do.

Harry walked over to his bed and sat down on it, reaching for the box that was still on the bedside table and placing it in his lap. Hermione sat down beside him as he stared at it, absently stroking the indented patterns in the wood.

"Would you like me to open it, Harry?" Hermione asked after a couple of minutes had passed.

Her words must have shaken Harry out of whatever thoughts he'd been lost in, as he shook his head slightly in reply, and then opened the latch and raised the lid.

Hermione could see that the items inside were more valuable to him than whatever Gringotts held in his vaults, as his eyes were shining almost immediately at finally having some things that had once belonged to his mother. She could see what looked like part of a bundle of letters from where she sat, but with the way Harry was holding the box, very little of the contents were visible to her.

Fawkes gave a soft trill, and Harry nodded slightly. For whatever reason, Harry moved along the bed and sat up against the headboard, looking at Hermione in clear invitation to join him. Once she did, she was able to get a better view of his new treasures.

There were a couple of wands, presumably belonging to his parents, as well as various items of jewellery, including a necklace, several rings and a Head Girl badge. There was a slim book that Hermione guessed was Lily's diary, or perhaps a notebook, as well as a string-wrapped bundle of letters that she'd glimpsed earlier.

She waited a few minutes to give Harry a chance to pick through the contents, but when he seemed content to simply stare at them she decided it was time to move things along. "Oh, honestly!" she muttered as she reached for the letters.

"How about I read one of these to you?" she asked almost rhetorically, as she didn't even wait for his response before she loosened the string binding the letters. Taking the first letter from the pile, she cleared her throat and began to read.

_'Dear Miss Evans,_

_I think we may have started off on the wrong foot this year. I'm not too sure why you're still friends with that greasy Slytherin, but I've been giving your words some thought over these holidays and let's face it, they were some really impressive curse words! You've really impressed Sirius with them you know, and yes, I know that doesn't usually take much effort, but this time he was really impressed. My mum heard me use one and I had to tell her I learned it from that Slytherin. I don't think she was as impressed with the word as I was though._

_Anyway I've decided to give you the benefit of the doubt, and I'm sure you're happy about that. Maybe you haven't been imperiused after all, but as I've said many times before, how would you know if you were? I'm going to be the better man about this and let you off though, so you don't have to apologise, and I won't ask you to do so again. You probably should still stay away from him though. You wouldn't know this because of your Muggle parents, but most Slytherins are bad news, and a lot of them are dark. Just look at how those Lestrange brothers behave._

_If you're just worried about not having enough friends in Gryffindor, as I've told you all year I'm happy to be your best friend, and it would make sense as I'm sure we're going to be married when we're older. We might as well start getting to know each other better now._

_Yours,_

_James Potter Esq._

_31st July, 1972'_

Hermione couldn't help but giggle as she finished the letter, and looked up to see a smile on Harry's face. "What a tosser," he said fondly.

"He was only twelve, Harry. Come on, let's read another."

~o~

"Remember what we agreed, Minerva. If you're going to be back later than 9 o'clock, then send Potter back with Fawkes to let us know."

"Yes, Alastor. I could hardly forget with the number of times you've made the same demand. We know the plan, so stop fussing so that we can leave."

"Fine! But I've got a bad feeling about this," Moody replied.

"You always have a bad feeling, Moody. Don't worry about it, we've got Fawkes after all," Tonks said as Fawkes flamed Minerva away to Hogwarts. She took Harry's hand in preparation for their own departure.

The two girls just waved, having already completed their parting with Harry, including repeated instructions to be safe.

A moment later they appeared in Dumbledore's office, where a dinner table had been set up. Minerva had already taken her seat, and Tonks released Harry's hand and gave him a gentle push towards one of the free chairs.

Dumbledore smiled warmly at them both as he gestured to the table. "As I've just mentioned to Minerva, welcome to both of you, and thank you for taking time to have dinner with an old man."

He waited as they took their seats before speaking again. "I'm sure we have much to discuss, but I wonder if we might leave the important discussions until after our meal? The elves have worked hard to prepare our dinner, and we would do them an injustice if we didn't enjoy it fully."

Everyone nodded their agreement as the first course appeared. "Tuck in, everybody," their host encouraged, "though Harry, I would suggest you try to save room for dessert. Your friend Dobby insisted on making a treacle tart for you once he heard you would be coming, and I'm sure you don't want to disappoint him."

Harry nodded, but didn't return the headmaster's smile. Dumbledore seemed to expect that though and simply began eating. From time to time he started conversations with some open questions to Harry that weren't too probing, such as; had he been enjoying his holiday, and had he given much thought to his studies next year, as well as offering recommendations for particular books that he might find useful, and so on.

Eventually the meal came to a close and the table was cleared. Dumbledore stood and moved over to a familiar cabinet, and retrieved his Pensieve. Putting it on the table, he then retrieved a box containing a number of glass vials and placed it on the table as well.

"Harry, before we begin I would like to gift you with my Pensieve. I know it won't come anywhere near repairing the damage I've caused to our relationship, and in truth I had already intended to give it to you once Minerva pointed out how useful it would be to your training, so it is not an apology gift. Still, I'd like to do this now so that you may feel free to say whatever you wish to me without worrying whether you would still receive it afterwards."

"Thank you, Headmaster," Harry replied solemnly. He couldn't help but respect the man for doing this now, and admitted to himself that he had been wondering about that very issue.

"An interesting feature of the Pensieve is that it is impossible to spill the contents, though if you do try to add too many memories they will simply slide off and onto the table or floor instead of being absorbed. You will know that it is getting full if you see what appears to be a bulge in the liquid in the middle if you look at it edge-on. Much like it is now, do you see?'

Dumbledore had levitated the Pensieve, and it was clear to see what he was talking about.

"You can use your wand to remove the memories and place them into glass vials, like these ones. Normally I wouldn't leave my Pensieve this full, but unfortunately I'd already used up my supply of empty vials, and I kept thinking of more and more memories I wanted you to have before you arrived this evening. Transfigured glass is not a safe way to store memories, as it is too easy to forget to place them in real glass later."

"Thank you, Albus," Minerva replied, "this is an extremely generous gift, and one that we will be making great use of."

Albus nodded and shrunk the Pensieve down until it would fit within a circular indentation that they now noticed on the top of the box of glass vials. Placing the shrunken runic bowl in its place in the box, he then closed the lid, and then reduced the box itself down until it was little more than the size of a matchbox. He handed it to Harry who then pocketed it.

Dumbledore returned to his seat and gestured for Harry to begin. "Please ask me anything you want to know."

"Alright, sir, then perhaps we should get straight to the main reason I wanted to come tonight. Why did Sirius spend all those years in Azkaban when you knew it was Pettigrew that was the Secret-Keeper?"

"I assure you, Harry, that I had no such knowledge. As far as I was aware at the time, Sirius was the Secret-Keeper," Dumbledore replied calmly.

"That's a lie! My parents stated in their wills that it was Peter Pettigrew that was their Secret-Keeper, and that you cast the Fidelius charm! How could you possibly cast it and not know who the Secret-Keeper was?"

"Harry, I'm prepared to swear an oath to you that I didn't cast the Fidelius, and that as far as I knew, Sirius was the Secret-Keeper. I don't know why the wills would say differently."

Harry was confused now. It was bad enough hearing the revelation during the will reading, but then to hear that his parents had lied? To him? No, that wasn't possible!

Albus could see the conflict in Harry and wanted to try to clear it up. Drawing his wand, he began his oath. "I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, do hereby swear–"

"Wait!" Minerva said, interrupting him. "Albus, what if you were obliviated of the memory of casting the Fidelius so that you couldn't reveal who the real Secret-Keeper was?"

Everyone stared in amazement at Minerva. As soon as she suggested the possibility it seemed quite likely to be the right answer given the other attempts at misdirection by claiming Sirius was the Secret-Keeper.

Dumbledore nodded his agreement. "That does seem likely to me now that you mention the idea. But I think we would all like to know for sure. If you would do the honours, Minerva?"

Minerva didn't feel as comfortable as Moody at reversing obliviations, but realised the need to resolve this issue. Placing her wand at Dumbledore's temple, she concentrated on willing that particular memory to be restored, assuming one was there to restore.

Dumbledore bowed his head afterwards and lifted it half a minute later. His eyes were grief-filled and he nodded at the others. "It was just as you suspected, Minerva. I did indeed cast the Fidelius, and it was Peter himself that suggested obliviating my memory afterwards. He even said that he would tell Sirius later that it was Lily that had cast the Fidelius because it would be safer if nobody else knew, even me, who the Secret-Keeper really was."

Dumbledore turned to Harry. "I'm so sorry, my boy. I didn't know of Peter's treachery, and I should have done more to help ensure he couldn't betray your parents. If I'd made him take an unbreakable vow, they'd still be alive now."

"Why didn't you?" Harry asked, still a little shocked at the revelations.

"I didn't think of it at the time," Dumbledore admitted, "but I should have."

Harry thought for a moment and then shook his head. "It's done. As Moody told me the other day, there's no point playing the what-if game if it's just to beat yourself up. There's an old Muggle saying that goes something like; 'hindsight has 20:20 vision.' If I'd done some things differently maybe Cedric and Sirius would still be alive, but I didn't, and they're not, and there's nothing I can do about that now. Just like there's nothing you can do about that Fidelius. We're both going to have to move on from it."

Tonks rubbed his back in support, while Dumbledore nodded his head. "Thank you, Harry, though I'm sure it will take a little longer for me to forgive myself."

"I understand. It's taking me a while as well, but I'm getting there I think. It helps to have friends and family to talk to about it."

Dumbledore smiled. "I'm sure it does. Now, was there anything else you wanted to ask?"

"Professor, I'm concerned about the Dursleys. Can anything be done to keep them safe?"

"They are currently with Vernon's sister, Marge, and I have convinced them, with a little minor memory modification, that they need to stay there for the foreseeable future. I've also cast a number of spells at Privet Drive to remove all evidence of you from the house. So even if Tom or his followers try to find you there they will not find any trace of you in the house, or even in the memories of your former neighbours."

"Thank you, Professor," Harry said, somewhat relieved.

"You're most welcome, Harry, and if I may say, it does you credit to care for their safety after how they've treated you. Now, Minerva, I believe there were some issues that you wished to address?"

"Yes, Albus. Perhaps we should start with potions?" she suggested.

"As you wish. I have had a discussion with Severus, and I have confirmed that you have my full support and I have encouraged him to follow your instructions to him. We are all on the same side, and it is essential that we can all work together. This is why I've asked him to join us, and he should be here quite soon actually."

Tonks stood immediately and her anger was obvious as she glared at the old man. "Are you insane? Did I not make myself perfectly clear to you at Gringotts? You can trust Snape as much as you want, but nobody else does, and we will not be having a happy little chat just because YOU think it's a good idea! Harry, we're leaving!"

Snape's drawl was heard from the doorway, and he used his voice as a weapon trying to inflict the most damage possible. "Remarkably, I find myself in total agreement with the little girl's comments. Did you really summon me to your office just so that we could talk with Minerva and these children over tea and biscuits, Headmaster?"

Tonks was beyond fury as she levelled her wand at Snape. "Get the fuck out of here now, Death Eater! And I mean RIGHT NOW before I start cursing!"

"Albus, I suggest you control your guest before I'm forced–"

"Stupefy!" yelled Tonks.

A wave of Snape's wand saw her spell splash harmlessly into the wall. He simply stood there with a mostly bored expression on his face, but it was the small smirk that Tonks saw as his true intention. He was deliberately provoking her.

"Put away your wands at once! There is no need for this, my friends," Dumbledore said loudly, trying to defuse the situation.

His pleas went ignored as Tonks unleashed a torrent of spells at Snape, who seemed content to merely shield or counter them.

"Incarcerous! Stupefy! Depulso! Aguamenti! Glacius! Confundo!"

"Really, child? Do you honestly expect to defeat me with these schoolyard charms? Why don't you run away and take the brat with you like you said you were going to do."

"REDUCTO!"

As Snape deflected the blasting curse which would have been lethal had it struck him, he glared at Tonks and returned fire. "Sectumsempra!"

The dark cutting curse hit Tonks in the chest before she had a chance to shield against it and she fell to the floor, blood already staining her shirt.

Harry stared as his cousin appeared to be dying before him, and then turned to the man he had hated almost as much as Voldemort. "You BASTARD! AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Snape saw the rage on the boy's face, and then watched in shock as the perfectly cast killing curse rushed towards him to claim his life. There was nowhere to dodge and nothing to shield with. His last thought before expecting to die was; Potter killed me?

Miraculously, Fawkes flamed in front of him and swallowed the curse just in time, leaving only a pile of ash on the floor from which a tiny chick could be seen moving.

Harry looked on in shock at what had happened, and his wand fell from his hand. He looked from Fawkes to Tonks and his mind seemed to lock in a cycle of horror and self-loathing as he barely heard the activity going on around him.

_He'd cast the killing curse._

"It's not working! I can't stop the bleeding!" Minerva cried, kneeling on the floor beside Tonks. Her wand was a blur as she cast spell after spell, all with no effect.

_He'd cast the killing curse and Fawkes was hit by his killing curse._

"Severus, what have you done?" Albus asked.

_His killing curse had hit Fawkes and now there would be no healing tears to save Tonks._

"Albus, I'm losing her! DO something!"

_He'd cast the killing curse and now his cousin would die._

"Albus! Please help me! She's dying!" Minerva said, with tears now running down her face as her fear for the young woman grew.

_What had he done?_

"ALBUS!"

~o~


	24. Chapter 24: The Potions Master

**Thoughts of Pudding by Brian64.**

**Chapter 24: The Potions Master.**

_Friday 28th June, 1996._

Severus Snape looked at the results of his taunting and provocation, and was surprised to find he gained no satisfaction from it. Potter looked totally shattered, slumped to his knees and staring at the girl as she bled out. As for the girl, the only thing he really felt regarding her was acceptance, that she was where he had intended her to be – a non-threat.

Minerva though…

He looked at his colleague and found himself oddly moved by her. He couldn't recall ever seeing her as distraught as she was now; pleading for help from Albus and trying desperately to heal her charge.

He looked down at the phoenix chick on the floor near his feet. "I'm sure this is somehow your fault," he muttered to the bird as he walked towards Minerva. Kneeling next to her, he ripped the girl's blood-soaked shirt open so that he could see the wounds, and began to cast, drawing his wand along the slashes his earlier spell had caused.

"Vulnera Sanentur. Vulnera Sanentur. Vulnera Sanentur…" Snape repeatedly cast the spell until all of the slashes had been healed. Almost absently he used Tergeo to clean off the blood from her body and shirt, and then repaired her shirt.

He turned to Minerva who was looking at him sternly, though her relief was also evident. "She will need to use dittany immediately to prevent any scarring, though in her case I suppose her morphing ability could take care of that. However her most pressing need is for Blood-Replenishing potions. I suggest you floo with her to the hospital wing and give them to her."

Minerva nodded, and stood up. Using mobilicorpus, she levitated Tonks and moved towards the headmaster's floo as suggested. She stopped and looked toward Harry who was still on the floor, staring now at the blood where Tonks had been laying moments earlier.

Her confusion was clear to Snape. "I will see that he follows you to the hospital momentarily. Your patient needs you now, Minerva. Make haste."

Snape watched as Minerva flooed away with Tonks, and turned to Potter. He readied his wand, but didn't expect to need it, unless the boy was incapable of standing and walking.

"Potter. Potter, get up. POTTER!"

There was no response, and Snape was hardly surprised. Walking over to Fawkes, he picked up the chick from its pile of ash, and walked back to the boy. He retrieved the wand from where the boy had dropped it, and tucked it into his own robes.

"Was it worth it, Severus? Does this outcome please you?" the headmaster asked him, and for the first time in over a decade, he could hear contempt in the man's tone.

"An interesting question, Headmaster. Perhaps I shall ask it of you as well? After all, you set this situation up. You chose not to advise me of the scene I would encounter, and obviously you also chose not to inform your guests to expect me either. I'm forced to wonder whether I played my part as you hoped I would. Was I intended to punish them for not consulting the great Albus Dumbledore? For not including him in their plans? For… ignoring him?"

"You go too far, Severus!"

"I think not. Am I expected to believe that you never once considered disarming the girl while she was casting at me? I gave you plenty of opportunities to do so by not casting back at her. Were you hoping that she would die by my hand, leaving Potter alone again?"

Severus used his wand to levitate Potter and headed towards the floo.

"This discussion is not over," the headmaster called after him.

"For now it is," Severus replied as he flooed away to the hospital wing with the boy.

Once there he floated the boy onto the bed next to where Minerva was working on Tonks, and then conjured a bowl on the bedside table next to him. Noticing the bird's shivering, he cast a warming charm on the chick before placing him in the bowl, and then turned to Minerva.

"Do you need anything, Minerva?"

She shook her head. "I've given her the Blood-Replenishers and the dittany. I also gave her a sleeping draught to keep her asleep and give her system a chance to recover."

She turned to Severus and now looked angry again. "What was that spell you used, Severus, and why would you cast it at her?"

"The spell is one of my own design, and as for why I used it, that should be obvious. While I may find my life tedious, I still have no intention of allowing it to be taken freely by an angry child. Actions have consequences, Minerva, as I'm sure you're aware."

"But why use such a vicious spell?"

"Would you rather I'd used the killing curse? Or perhaps a reductor like the one she cast at me?" He paused, waiting for Minerva to acknowledge his point with an unhappy look, and then continued. "Tell me, Minerva, now that you've given her the dittany and Blood-Replenishers, how long will her recovery take do you think?"

"She should be fine by morning," Minerva admitted, "and I don't think we even need to bring Poppy back from leave to check her."

"Precisely."

"Very well, I accept your use of that spell in the circumstances, but you still didn't need to provoke her as you did."

"And are you in the habit of allowing a student to order you from the headmaster's office when the headmaster himself has summoned you there?"

"She is not a student, Severus!"

"And she is not the headmaster either. She had no cause to be ordering me around at all. She had neither the authority, nor the skill to back up her demands. Have you ever known me to suffer fools, Minerva? And no, you don't need to answer, as it was a rhetorical question.

"The question that you should really be asking yourself is; why did Dumbledore initiate that conflict?"

He almost imperceptibly tilted his head to the side, and continued to look at Minerva as he asked his next question. "Well, what is your opinion, Mister Potter?"

"I don't know."

~o~

Harry had been listening to what had been going on around him, but without really paying attention to what he heard. But then he heard Minerva say that Tonks was going to be fine in the morning, and if anything his self-loathing grew. The man he had tried to kill had been the one to save her, and she hadn't even been in as much danger as he had thought.

In fact, deny it as much as he could, it seemed Snape had specifically chosen a spell to disable Tonks that he was capable of healing completely. And his own response was to try to kill the man. Was it because he wanted to?

He doubted there were many students outside of Slytherin that didn't dream of ending the horrid professor at one time or another, but to actually attempt it? And with the killing curse? Was it really Tonks he was avenging, or his own desire to kill the man for all those insults and injustices?

As he was wondering whether things could get any worse, he belatedly recalled the fake Moody's lesson. How could he have forgotten that the penalty for casting an unforgiveable was a one way ticket to Azkaban?

Now Snape was suggesting that Dumbledore had initiated the conflict deliberately. It was too much, and he had no answer to Snape's question.

Severus turned now to face him and took in the boy's body language. He understood all too well the issues the boy was trying to come to terms with. They were no different to the ones he'd had to deal with himself when he was not much older, and there were no phoenixes around during the encounter with Voldemort where he accepted his dark mark. What a mistake that had been.

"Minerva, I think Potter and I need to have a private conversation."

"Absolutely not! He's been through quite enough without you–"

"Retract your claws, Minerva. I have no intention of damaging your Gryffindor. He and I need to have a conversation – or rather, he needs to have this conversation with me, as there is no one else he could have it with."

Minerva stared at the man intently, as though trying to weigh up the man's intentions, while he simply stared impassively back at her. It was Harry that broke the deadlock.

"It's alright, Professor. There isn't anything he could say or do to me now that would make things any worse for me."

"Harry, I don't think–"

"Leave us, Minerva. I will seek you in your office when we're done," Snape said impatiently.

Her eyes were cold and her expression gave evidence of her complete lack of tolerance as she turned to face Severus. "Very well, but mark my words, Severus. I will _end_ you if you harm him further."

The man merely inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement.

After she left, Harry watched as Snape cast a spell at each of the portraits in the hospital wing, and then cast another spell around them. "This will prevent any eavesdropping," Snape said, anticipating his unspoken question.

He watched as the man summoned a chair to him and sat down, and then stared at him as though considering where to begin. While he did this, Harry sat up on the bed and got a better look at Tonks. She appeared to be sleeping peacefully. He looked at Fawkes, and took the chick from the bowl and held him in his hands. He didn't seem hot enough in Harry's opinion.

He reached for his wand, before realising he didn't have it, only to find Snape extending it towards him. Taking it, he looked around for something he could transfigure, but there were no rocks in the hospital wing.

"What is it you need, Potter?"

"Fawkes needs heat. I'd like to place him in a stone bowl with heated rocks around the edge, but while I can change their shape, I don't know how to transfigure things into real rocks."

"Place him back in the bowl, Potter, and tell me when you think it's hot enough."

Harry did so, and watched as Snape touched his wand to the bowl he'd created. The bowl appeared to change material, and when Snape kept his wand on it, Harry placed a hand near it to check the temperature. After a while he nodded, and Snape withdrew his wand and sat back in the chair."

"What I am about to tell you, Potter, is for your ears alone. You will not repeat it to anyone else, you will not write it down, and nobody will learn it from you. Are we agreed?"

"Yes, Sir."

Snape examined him, as though judging his sincerity before beginning. "Your wand, Potter," the main said, extending his hand. Reluctantly, Harry gave it to him.

"You may have it back soon, and while I doubt you would attempt to try killing me again, prudence dictates I avoid the possibility. At least until Fawkes has grown sufficiently."

If Harry's state of mind were different, he might have wondered whether this was Snape's version of humour, but instead he merely listened without comment.

"I am not in the habit of discussing my life with anyone. However, there are some things you need to know before we can move on to the current situation. I will be brief, as the details are irrelevant, but you need to know why I've hated you.

"My childhood was unpleasant, and in some ways even worse than yours. I did have a good friend though; your mother, Lily Evans. Things began to change after our sorting, but it was an event after our OWLs that saw our friendship end. You are aware of the reason, I believe, from delving into my memories uninvited."

While Harry was too drained to feel any true embarrassment, he did give a small nod in acknowledgement of Snape's rebuke.

"I was not able to restore our friendship after that incident. I do not blame your mother for that, as I think she was influenced by years of listening to the Gryffindors in her house. In any event, sometime later she started dating my rival, and that was more than I could take. I had no other friends and I found myself becoming closer to some acquaintances within my own house. I later joined their group and became a Death Eater. I'll say it again to be clear; I do not blame Lily for my own actions, and neither should you.

"Eventually there came a time when I overheard the first couple of lines of a prophecy, and I reported it to the Dark Lord. I don't think you can fully appreciate my horror and remorse when I learned that the prophecy referred to you, and that I had just sentenced Lily to death."

Snape had been expecting the boy's reaction, and quickly cast a Petrificus as the boy was about to launch himself in attack.

"Then, years later, you came to Hogwarts. With Lily's eyes, you were a constant reminder of what I might have hoped for if I hadn't ruined my friendship with her, but looking like my rival as you did, you were also a constant reminder of why my hopes never became reality. I blamed James Potter for the incident that caused my outburst at Lily. I blamed him for taking her from me, and I blamed him for denying me the possibility of her ever returning the love I felt for her.

"I hated you, and despised your very existence! You were living proof that the only woman I'd ever wanted had loved another man instead, and bore his child." Snape realised that he'd stood up and started pacing as he'd begun ranting in the telling of his story, and resumed his seat and composure before continuing.

"The reason I have told you this, is so that when I tell you that I _despise_ the Dark Lord and wish him defeated, you can believe me without hesitation. He _killed_ _Lily_, and _I._ _Will. Not. Rest_ until he is destroyed. I had joined Dumbledore in the hope that he could save her, but he didn't, and now that the Dark Lord has returned I've yet to see him do anything useful.

"To my mind, there has been no hope. You are prophesied to be the one that will vanquish the Dark Lord, but how could you, when you can barely even focus on your classes? No, I've expected nothing less than that the Dark Lord would win," Snape said, pausing for emphasis before continuing. "Until tonight."

Snape cancelled the petrification spell he'd cast and threw the boy's wand back to him. "Start casting spells until I tell you to stop. Lumos, Wingardium Leviosa, Scourgify, and similar spells. Be certain not to cast any in my direction."

Harry's wand seemed to glow as he held it, but only a Lumos was cast.

"Tonight, Potter, you showed me that you are at least prepared to kill when you think it is necessary. If you can do that to avenge your friends, then you can do that to protect them as well."

Harry's eyes dropped. "I don't think I can. I'll never use that spell again. I… I didn't even think about it when I cast it, I just– I…"

"Calm yourself. And keep casting," Snape instructed him. "I know all too well the effects of casting that spell. You will feel unsettled for a while. For me, it took almost a week to get over, but unlike you, I didn't cast it in the heat of the moment. What I did, was dark. What you did was a crime of passion and a result of 'temporary insanity' as the Muggles refer to it."

"But it's still a dark curse, and…"

"Cease your whining. It is one of the three unforgiveables, and indeed, the Ministry of Magic classed it as a 'dark' curse a couple of centuries ago. But, despite that, it is not dark. You have to intend for the other person to die for it to work, but that is all. Aurors have been authorised to use it in the past, and they were not considered dark for either being able to cast it, or for actually doing so.

"Now, I want you to think about this next question very carefully. Did you enjoy casting that spell?"

As Harry considered the question, Snape watched and then conjured a bucket as the boy began vomiting. About half of the Death Eaters had the same reaction when they first cast the spell, but nobody had conjured a bucket for them. Snape himself had used his Occlumency to hold his own reaction in until he was alone.

"I rest my case, but you do not need to take my word for it. You will recall that your phoenix allowed you to hold him without complaint earlier? He would not have done so had you actually been dark, so put an end to that foolishness. I have no patience for it."

Harry looked up from his bucket, his face still a little green. "But I'll still end up in Azkaban. That's the law, isn't it?"

"Unless you feel the need to walk in there yourself, I suspect you will continue to remain free. Besides yourself, there were only three people conscious when you cast. Minerva has already indicated her position in defence of you. It should be obvious by now that I want the Dark Lord defeated more than anything else, and as for the headmaster…"

Snape paused and considered his response. "The headmaster knows the prophecy, and therefore knows he cannot afford for you to be in Azkaban. So, once your wand has been cleared of any evidence of casting the killing curse, there will be no need to fear that anyone else will learn of it from checking your wand. Get back to casting."

Harry did as he was told, and resumed casting various spells. He looked at Snape from time to time, but the man said nothing more, and Harry felt too drained to ask him anything. He desperately wished for a time turner to redo this evening.

"That should be enough," Snape advised him a short time later. "I had best go and see Minerva before she loses her patience and feels she needs to come and rescue you. There is nothing else you can do this evening, so I suggest you sleep. Once Minerva has checked her patient in the morning, I suggest you all leave, promptly."

Without waiting for a response, Snape left.

Harry looked briefly at the sleeping phoenix chick, and then got up and moved the chair Snape had used next to the bed Tonks was sleeping in. He watched her sleeping, for what may have been only a minute, or maybe half an hour, as he thought over what Snape had said. Could he kill to protect his family and friends?

He thought again about how close he had come to losing his cousin this evening, and impulsively leaned forward to give Tonks a kiss on her forehead.

Could he kill to protect her? He hoped he could, but at the moment he wasn't sure that was possible. He'd never be able to use the; _'I didn't really mean to…'_ excuse again, even to himself. Could he deliberately try to take a life? Even a Death Eater's, or Riddle's?

Sitting back in the chair again, he held her hand as he leaned against her bed and closed his eyes.

He hoped he could.

~o~

After advising Minerva of the relevant portions of his conversation with Potter, Snape was heading to his office when he encountered the headmaster again.

"I believe we should continue our discussion now, Severus."

"To what purpose, Headmaster?"

"This animosity between us, all of us, must end if we are to have any hope of defeating Tom," Dumbledore replied.

"Has it still not occurred to you that you are the cause of most of it?"

Dumbledore shook his head in concern rather than denial. "This conflict has to stop. I am not the enemy that you think I am, Severus. We must focus on our true enemy, and not on petty issues that distract us from our task. I've given you many opportunities, and you've squandered them time and time again in order to pursue a vendetta against a dead man. You must focus now on our true enemy – your true enemy, and end this infighting and bickering."

Snape studied the man he had once respected, and considered whether there was any point in speaking with him. "As usual, Headmaster, you continue to ignore those things you do not wish to hear. Your errors in judgement are significant and long-reaching. Perhaps you should focus less on my flaws, and more on your own. It is your actions and decisions that are affecting everyone else, not mine."

Dumbledore appeared as though he were sighing. "I have tried to reach you, Severus, and I am sorry I've not been able to. You are welcome to speak with me if you need to. Please remember that I will not protect you from Minerva if she calls for your termination."

"I have just spoken with Minerva, and we understand each other."

"And what of your treatment of Harry next year? Will I need to arrange for Auror guards so that you will not try to kill each other?"

"He and I have also had a discussion, and I believe that we have achieved a working relationship now. Aurors will not be required."

Dumbledore smiled for the first time. "I see. Then it appears as though my intentions for this evening's meeting were achieved after all! Excellent! Good evening, Severus."

Snape watched as the old man walked off happily, and the Potions Master wondered whether he would be able to get away with cursing the infuriating old man.

~o~

"Don't do it, Moody! There are too many Muggles living around the area," Remus advised the extremely annoyed old ex-Auror.

Moody looked again at the tree he planned to turn into toothpicks and weighed up the advantages and disadvantages of blowing it up anyway. With a growl of frustration, he put his wand away and resumed his pacing, unable to vent his anger.

Remus shook his head, only slightly relieved to have averted the latest crisis. The others should have been back an hour ago, or at least a message should have been sent by then. He didn't think joining Moody in his angry mutterings and storming around the camp would do anyone any good. The girls seemed to be quite worried enough as it was, and didn't need any more adults losing control around them.

He walked back over to the small campfire and retook his seat. This was the group's usual location each evening after dinner, and he found it gave him a sense of community to be part of this group. He realised that the downside to that was when part of the group was missing, you felt their loss more.

"I know, let's tell ghost stories!" Luna suggested, breaking one uncomfortable silence and forming another one.

"Well, it's not really dark enough for that, Luna," Hermione eventually said. "You should only tell ghost stories around a campfire when it's really dark, and it won't get that dark here for months."

"Oh, that's a shame. I just thought it would give us something to think about instead of worrying about our friends, and we could also pretend to be scared of the stories instead of for what might have happened to them to keep them away from us."

Remus wished he could laugh at Luna's comment. Trust her to take the elephant in the room by the horns, or the trunk, or whatever that saying was.

"Hmm, I think I've got a good idea for something we can do," Dan said, thinking that a distraction sounded like a good idea.

Emma, sitting alongside him, gave him a suspicious look. "No, I don't think you do if your so-called good idea is what I think it is."

"But–"

"No! You'll drive the rest of us crazy. Save it for another time, preferably when I'm not around."

"You're no fun at all, you know that?" Dan groused.

"That's not what you said yesterday, or the day before," Emma retorted.

"Well, that was yesterday… I'm talking about now."

"Oh, please tell me you did not just say that out loud!" Hermione said, with a look of horror on her face.

"Say what, dear?" her mother asked innocently.

"That… that…" Hermione trailed off as she looked around, noticing that the entire group was looking at her. "You know, I think I'm going to put the kettle on. Does anyone want some tea? I think we could all do with a cup, but not chamomile tea, right, Mister Lovegood? I'll be back in a minute."

As she got up from her seat, face flaming, she grabbed Luna's hand and pulled her out of her seat."

"I think I'll help her," Luna called over her shoulder as she was dragged into one of the tents.

"You would have made a wonderful marauder, Emma," Remus said, smiling in appreciation of her prank.

"I doubt it will keep her occupied for long though," Emma remarked, "but really, it's high time she grew up a little over that topic. Honestly, she and Harry are a right pair that way. Give them a life or death situation and they're all over it like a rash, but a little innuendo and they lose their composure completely. Perhaps I should have another talk with Hermione. I can't believe she hasn't read every book there is on the subject though, just like everything else."

Something occurred to Emma, and she turned to Xeno. "Not to be indelicate or anything, Xeno, but has Luna had the talk? I can take care of it if you like."

"Err, well, that is to say, umm, yes, yes."

Emma was confused. "Do you mean 'yes' she's had it, or 'yes' you'd like me to take care of it?"

"Yes."

"Yes to which?"

"Err, yes to both. I, err… did try to explain things to her myself, because… well, err… you know, with her mother not being– and, uh, she needed to know of course… but there would be things I don't know, probably lots… and I never remembered to ask Molly. But she's really taken to you! Do you see? I can! I can see it, _so clearly_. Emma, would you please help my little girl?"

Emma was feeling a little choked up, so just nodded and reached a hand out to rub the man's shoulder to try and say what she couldn't at the moment.

~o~

_Saturday 29th June, 1996._

Harry wasn't sure what woke him, but he sensed a presence standing on the other side of the bed Tonks was sleeping on, and he started to cast before thinking about it. "Stup–"

"Harry, it is only I. There is no danger."

Harry was able to break off his spell in time as soon as he heard the voice speak, but he didn't think he would have been able to stun the headmaster even if he had finished casting.

"You startled me, Sir," Harry said, his tone implying it was Dumbledore's fault.

"Yes, I suspect I did, but I didn't want to risk disturbing either of you by raising the lights too much. I was worried, and even though Minerva told me she'd be fine, I found I couldn't sleep until I had checked for myself. She was right of course, as I knew she would be, but still…"

The headmaster conjured a chair and sat down in it. "And you, Harry. How are you feeling?"

Harry shrugged. "I'll be fine. Professor Snape helped a bit actually. I know he hates me, so it made it easier to believe what he was saying… I don't even know if that makes any sense."

"It does, Harry, I assure you that it does. A friend may tell you something, but you might not believe them because you think they are only saying it to try to make you feel better. Someone who hates you would lack the motive to make you feel better, so you have less reason to doubt them. Unless you think they are trying to hurt you of course."

"Of course," Harry agreed.

"So, Professor Snape explained his story to you? Do you understand now why I trust him as much as I do?"

"Yes, I understand why you can trust him to fight Voldemort. But perhaps you can tell me why you trust him to teach potions properly and fairly to all students?"

"That is a story for another time, Harry."

"I'm sure it is. And that time would be never if you had your way, am I right?"

Dumbledore didn't respond for a while, and when he did, his tone wasn't as friendly as before.

"You're right, Harry. The time when I believe I should discuss my hiring decisions with a student is never. Should you someday ascend to a position of authority over me, you may attempt to ask that question again. Until then, do not. I will not discuss the matter any further."

Harry fumed for a moment, but he was also intimidated by the headmaster, so tried to control his anger. Snape's suggestion that Dumbledore had deliberately set up the conflict tonight had played in his head.

"Was there something else you wished to ask, Harry?"

Harry didn't think he'd get an answer, but he had to ask anyway. "Why did you set up the confrontation tonight when you knew Tonks didn't want to see Sna– _Professor_ Snape?" Harry asked, correcting himself before giving Dumbledore an excuse to.

"If I had told Severus who would be joining me for dinner, then it is very unlikely that he would have responded to my call. Likewise, I had every reason to expect you and Nymphadora would have responded similarly. Severus plays an important role in the fight against Tom, as will you thanks to that prophecy. The wizarding world cannot afford for you to be at odds with each other, or for us to be fighting amongst ourselves."

"But Tonks nearly died because of it!"

"And I am sorrier than you can know that she was hurt. But, as I've said all along; I trust Severus. Now that you've heard his story, can you trust him now?"

"Only to fight Voldemort. I didn't get the impression that I could trust him for anything else. He admitted he truly despises me."

"No, Harry, I don't believe that he does, despite his protests. I think he actually likes you. What he hates is what you represent to him, not you, yourself. Didn't he tell you this? It may seem a small difference, but it isn't actually 'Harry' that he hates, it's your Potter heritage.

"Anyway, it's very late. Perhaps you should get some proper sleep in that bed over there. Sleeping in a chair will not give you much rest. Goodnight, Harry."

"Goodnight," Harry replied as the headmaster left.

~o~

Luna and Hermione weren't having very much success in finding ways to occupy their time, as they were filled with worry for their friends.

"I'm sorry, Hermione," Luna began, "I know he's your boyfriend at the moment, but I don't think I'll be able to stop myself from giving Harry a big hug and kiss when he comes back."

"Wouldn't you want to find out why he's made us worry so much first, to see if he deserves that sort of welcome?" Hermione asked.

The blonde girl shook her head. "No. I would just be so happy to see him again after being worried, and I'd want to let him know that."

"But what if it was his fault that they're late?"

"Does it matter? Won't you be relieved and happy to see him walk back into camp?"

"Yes, but–"

"There are those _but's_ again, Hermione. You must do what you feel is right, of course, but if you don't mind me saying so, I think you have too many rules and conditions around your feelings."

"What do you mean, Luna?"

"If you're happy to see him back and safe, I think you should show him. If you find out later that it was entirely his fault that you were worried, you can always tell him off then."

"But–"

Luna gave her friend a disappointed look. "Hermione, are you only going to care about Harry as long as he doesn't do anything stupid?"

"Of course not!"

"Then why would you hesitate to show him how much you care when he comes back, no matter how stupid he may have been?"

Hermione stared at Luna for a minute or two, and then finally gave her a warm smile. "If you want to hug Harry first when he comes back, then you're going to have to run faster than me!"

Luna gave her a big smile in return. "Don't worry, I will!"

Hermione hugged her friend. "Thank you, Luna. I don't know why you're trying so hard to help me, but I am very grateful that you are."

"You're my friend," Luna replied, hugging her back.

~o~

"Alastor, would you please settle down for Merlin's sake? There isn't anything we can do at the moment, and raging about the situation doesn't help."

"I should never have let you talk me out of going in the first place! I knew that was a mistake!"

"How many times must we go over this? Having you going as well as Minerva, Tonks and Harry would have backed Dumbledore into a corner. He'd have had to bring others into the meeting to help even the playing field, and that would probably have meant Snape would be there. You know this, which is why you agreed to stay behind."

"I should never have trusted that bloody phoenix. I must be getting old. Bugger it! I'm going down there to bring 'em back!"

"No, you're not! You're going to stay here and help look after the group. It's too close to the full moon for me to be at my best. Besides, if you leave, how do you expect to keep those girls here? They're very resourceful, so they'll find a way to follow you. We need to stick together and plan–"

"Accio wands!"

Without warning, both men felt their wands being summoned away from them. They turned and watched them fly off along with three others into the waiting hand of Albus Dumbledore.

Pocketing them in his robe, he conjured a seat and sat down.

"Good evening, everyone."

~o~


	25. Chapter 25: Consequences

**Thoughts of Pudding by Brian64.**

**Chapter 25: Consequences.**

_Saturday 29th June, 1996._

The headmaster's unexpected arrival caused all conversation to stop, and while most of the group stared in shock at Albus' cheerful greeting, one of the members took issue with it.

"Don't you mean 'good morning' instead, Professor Dumbledore?"

Albus chuckled at the question before replying. "Yes, I suppose it is after midnight, isn't it? Thank you for pointing out my error, Miss Lovegood. I hope you have been well? This is a lovely place you've found."

"Yes, I've been quite well until this evening when I started getting very worried about my friends. Why did you summon my wand? I think that was quite rude of you to take it without asking."

Dumbledore nodded in agreement with the girl's question. "You are right, it was quite rude of me, but I thought it best not to risk being cursed before we could talk."

"And you thought I would curse you, Professor?"

"I think, Miss Lovegood, that under the right circumstances that you are capable of whatever you put your mind to. You were duelling Death Eaters only a couple of weeks ago, were you not? That isn't something that many students can claim to have done."

"Non sequitur. Your facts are uncoordinated, Professor. Unless you are suggesting that you are either a Death Eater, or worried that I might defeat you in a duel."

Albus chuckled again and shook his head.

"Then you won't mind returning my wand to me then, will you?" she asked, extending her hand.

Albus continued smiling and shook his head again. "Perhaps a little later, my dear."

By this time Moody had lost what little patience he'd had. "Alright, cut the shite, Albus. Where are Potter and the others?"

Albus gave his old friend an offended look. "Do you now trust me so little that you feel the need to demand their whereabouts before even greeting me, Alastor?"

"Hah! Says the man who summoned my bloody wand without so much as a 'hello'. The Albus Dumbledore who was my friend would not have done that, so you can climb down from your high horse right now! I'll ask you again; where are Potter and the others?"

Emma decided to interrupt the growing argument. "Excuse me! But I think this discussion would be a little easier if we all sat down and talked this out like civilised adults over a cup of tea! I'll be back in a minute. Do try not to kill each other until I get back."

Albus smiled. "An excellent suggestion, dear lady. Two sugars if you please. I've developed something of a sweet tooth as I've gained years, I'm afraid."

Emma nodded and turned to Alastor. "Behave yourself!" she ordered the man, who merely huffed in annoyance at her.

She then turned to Albus. "And that goes for you too!" she warned him, giving him a stern glare as though disciplining an unruly child.

Albus gave her an almost patronising nod, yet was grateful to the woman for trying to tone down the tension. Looking for a neutral topic to break the silence while waiting for the tea, he turned to Xenophilius Lovegood. "And how goes the search for the elusive Snorkack? Might we be seeing some news in the Quibbler soon?"

"Ah! Yes, yes, I'm glad you asked. I think we may be on to something here, the tracks we've found could– Oh, I almost forgot to ask! You haven't drunk any chamomile tea lately have you?"

~o~

Not long afterwards, Albus was extremely relieved to see Emma bringing out a serving tray with a number of teacups sitting on their saucers. She distributed them to the others, and then brought the last to him, approaching slowly. He assumed she was trying not to alarm him, and did his best to look wary so as not to make her feel foolish. He took the offered cup and saucer with a smile and a nod of thanks to her.

"Is it sweet enough?" she asked, prompting Albus to take a sip of tea to check.

Unfortunately for Albus, the rather solid serving tray colliding with his head sent him into unconsciousness before he could respond or enjoy the tea.

Not content with her assault, Emma quickly took the man's wand from his loosening fingers and threw it as far as she could behind her. Then she reached for the other wands he'd summoned and pocketed earlier, and threw those in the direction of the others. She then backed away carefully, tray at the ready in case he regained consciousness.

Alastor gave the woman a shocked look, before he started laughing loudly as he headed to retrieve his wand. Remus followed him to collect his own wand, and tried to work out his feelings. There was something amusing about the greatest wizard of the age being brought down so readily by a Muggle woman and her tea tray, but equally it was extremely sad and worrying as well.

Once Emma saw that Alastor had taken his wand and was now focussed on the headmaster, she let go of the tray she'd been gripping tightly like the weapon it had been. She winced at the loud sound it made as it landed on a small stone, and she began to wonder whether she'd done the right thing. Had she really attacked that old man a minute ago?

Her husband's arms wrapped around her and gave her a reassuring hug. She started to relax into his embrace as she focussed on what was important. Her family was safe again. Everything else could be sorted out later.

~o~

While Emma was receiving some much needed reassurance, Remus and Alastor had started arguing again.

"Alastor, I understand why you want to question him, but I don't think we should try reviving Albus now. He took quite a blow, and I think he should sleep it off naturally. His breathing and heartbeat are fine, but that's quite a lump he's got on his head. I don't want to mess with it, and I don't think you should either. I suggest we levitate him into a bed and restrain him."

"How do you suppose we do that, Remus? He knows wandless magic in case you've forgotten."

"Tape his fingers and thumbs, and tie his hands to the bedframe. Tie him to the bed, lock the door, throw up an imperturbable on the room, and place a caterwauling charm on the door and window. If he does somehow manage to get out of all that, then at least we'll hear about it."

Moody grunted his agreement, and started levitating Albus towards the room Minerva and Tonks had been using. Once they'd bound him as they'd agreed, Remus asked the question he'd been wondering about since Albus had first shown up.

"Alastor, are you able to use Legilimency to learn how Albus found out about us?"

"Somehow I doubt it, but there's no harm in trying I suppose," he replied. After casting the spell, he held it for a couple of minutes before pointing his wand down, and shook his head. "Even asleep, his subconscious mind must be maintaining his Occlumency barriers."

"Is that even possible?"

"I wouldn't have thought so, but he's doing it anyway. You learn to expect the unexpected when dealing with him."

"Well, can you at least obliviate him of the knowledge of where we are?"

Alastor grinned. "Now _that_ I can do!"

~o~

Tonks woke the next morning with a headache and a sore chest. It didn't take her long to recall the events of the previous evening and while she wanted to take a few minutes to kick herself in the arse, she needed a sitrep more. Opening her eyelids slightly, she tried to determine where she was and whether there were any potential hostiles nearby.

Her initial scan showed her to be in the Hogwarts hospital wing and with nobody else around. Taking a chance, she opened her eyes further and found she'd been mistaken. There was someone else in the room. She looked fondly over at Harry, who it seemed had ignored the many empty beds in order to sleep in a chair, with his head on his folded arms at the side of her bed. She gave the hand holding hers a squeeze, and called his name softly.

He woke with a start, looking around the room before focussing on her with concern. "Tonks, are you alright?"

"Yeah, Harry. I'm a bit sore, but otherwise I'm okay. How are you?"

"I'm fine," Harry replied.

"Hmm, you don't sound it, but we'll talk about that later. Where's Minerva?"

"I'm here, Dora," Minerva said, hurrying into the room. "My ward just alerted me that you'd woken. How do you feel?"

"Like a Hippogriff kicked me in the head and chest. Who do I have to snog to get a potion for it?" she asked, looking pointedly at Harry, who blushed.

"You just have to ask, Tonks," he muttered, as he got up and stretched noisily before heading for the medicine cabinet. As he walked off, the two women shared a silent conversation consisting of various head movements and facial gestures in his direction.

After Tonks had finished the potion provided and started feeling better, Minerva got down to business. "If you're feeling fit enough to travel, we need to get out of the castle and work out what we're going to do now."

As she spoke, Harry took Fawkes out of the bowl he'd been sleeping in, and was cradling him in his hands.

"Oh shite." Tonks exclaimed, her eyes widening at the realisation that their ride home wasn't old enough to take them anywhere.

"Quite," Minerva agreed. "Without Fawkes, we'll need to find another way back to wherever it is our friends are."

"You mean Sweden?" Tonks asked.

Minerva's eyes widened for a moment. "Sweden is it? And just how would you know that since we all had our memories modified before we came here?"

"Oh, bloody hell! It was Dumbledore!" Harry exclaimed. "I woke up last night to find him standing by your bed. He must have reversed the obliviation while you were asleep. He probably knows where we've been staying now. I should have stayed awake."

"And I shouldn't have started the fight with Snape. Don't worry about it now, Harry, we'll sort it all out later. For now, let's get you both remembering our camp, and then get the hell out of this castle."

A couple of minutes later, Harry led the way to the one-eyed witch statue and the secret passage to Hogsmeade.

"So how are we going to get back to Näshultasjön?" Tonks asked.

Harry didn't waste any time in replying. "Once we're far enough down the passage to be past the Hogwarts wards, we can Portkey to Diagon Alley and visit Gringotts. Hopefully we'll be able to convince Ragnok to let us leave through the door at Västerlånggatan. If not, we'll just have to visit the travel agency for an international Portkey. Prof– Minerva can make us a Portkey once we're back in Sweden, right?"

"Why not just make an international Portkey from here? We've already got our visas and checked in with their ministry, and you've seen where we need to go, Minerva?" Tonks asked.

Minerva appeared a little embarrassed. "I'm afraid I am unable to do that. In addition to the other reasons I gave that night at the Lovegoods' house, there is another requirement for making an international Portkey. One needs a certain level of raw magic, and since being hit by those stunners at the end of last term, mine has yet to fully recover."

"No worries, Gringotts it is then." Tonks said, giving Minerva's back a reassuring rub."

~o~

Emma hadn't had a very good night at all, and had eventually given up trying to sleep. She was now sitting in the living room of the tent they shared. From time to time she'd looked at the door to the bedroom that Dumbledore was sleeping in, and had found herself listening at it a couple of times as well. She'd just settled back on the couch after one of those inspections, when she heard Moody's voice.

"I think we need to talk."

She turned to the voice and watched as he took a seat in one of the chairs. He looked at her with concern for a few seconds before he began speaking.

"I've known Albus Dumbledore for more years than you've probably been alive. So I want you to listen to me carefully. You did the right thing, and you did it for the right reasons. Albus would tell you exactly the same thing if the positions were reversed and it was me that you'd hit me with your tray. There's also a damn good chance that he'd agree with me even though he was the one being hit."

"But I hit that poor old man, and–"

"Stop right there. That 'poor old man' as you call him is probably the most powerful wizard alive, and is generally considered to be the only wizard Voldemort ever feared. He disarmed us all, and held us at wand point, while our friends were overdue after last heading to his school. Make no mistake, he put himself in the role of an enemy, whether he actually is one or not. You know that I'm right, because you made that same judgement yourself last night, and then took action to protect your daughter, your husband, yourself and your friends."

"I am afraid I must agree with Alastor."

Both turned to face the voice and saw Dumbledore standing in the bedroom doorway, showing none of the bindings he'd been placed in the night before. He raised his hands to show that they were empty. "I regret putting you in that position, Mrs Granger, and I bear you no ill will."

He walked slowly towards one of the other chairs, and sat down with some relief. He touched his fingers to the lump on his head, wincing slightly as he did so. Seeing the look on Emma's face he smiled slightly. "A small price to pay for failing to remember that actions have consequences, and also for forgetting that mothers can be the most dangerous creatures in the world. I am grateful to still be alive."

"Alright, Albus. Are you going to tell us now why the others didn't return last night when they planned to?" Moody asked impatiently.

"There was a conflict with Severus, and Nymphadora was injured enough that she required an overnight stay in the hospital wing. I would be surprised if they aren't heading back here–" Albus paused, as though realising something. "Hmm, it seems I have forgotten where 'here' is," Albus said, peering at Moody over his half-moon glasses.

"Why would Tonks need to stay overnight when Fawkes was with them?" Moody asked, ignoring the accusing look as irrelevant.

"Ah, yes. Well, I'm sorry to say that Fawkes went through an unexpected regeneration last night. He won't be able to provide any tears for about a week I'm afraid."

This news did not please Moody one bit. "Damn you, and your foolish bloody plans! You know full well that phoenix was the most important protection Potter had! Now he's vulnerable again, and it's entirely your fault!"

"I assure you, Alastor, Fawkes' regeneration was none of my doing," Albus protested.

"What a load of bollocks! 'Scuse me, Emma."

The raised voices brought the other two occupants of the tent out of the bedrooms. Dan moved to sit beside Emma, and appeared ready to charge at the old man if needed, while Remus took up station behind the couch they were sitting on, his wand pointed directly at Dumbledore.

Alastor stared angrily at the old man he'd thought of as a friend for several decades, considering what needed to be done.

"Did you get around to swearing any vows or oaths to Minerva before the interruptions occurred last night?"

Albus shook his head. "Unfortunately we didn't get around to discussing that."

"A coincidence I'm sure, right? And of course you had intended to provide those vows that Minerva wanted?"

"I'm sure we could have come to some agreement that would have satisfied her," Dumbledore replied.

"I see. Then you'll have no problem agreeing to an unbreakable vow with me now then, will you? Remus can be our bonder."

"An unbreakable vow is–"

"Absolutely necessary! At this point in time Albus, I don't think there are any Death Eaters that have done more to help Voldemort than you have. Every single thing you've done lately has been wrong, and I wouldn't trust you to brew a cup of tea properly!" Moody said, interrupting him. Albus could only stare in shock at his statement.

"I'm deadly serious, Albus. I'm sure in your own mind you've been doing nothing but trying to save the Wizarding world. But in practice, you've been weakening it. You're the headmaster of Hogwarts, but instead of turning out Auror and healer candidates, you're turning out Death Eaters. You're also the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, yet Death Eaters can pay their bribes to an incompetent minister and go free, while innocents like Black are thrown into Azkaban without a trial. Aren't you supposed to be the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards? Where is the help and support of the other nations then?"

"Those titles do not come with either omniscience or omnipotence, Alastor. I do not have veto powers to change things I believe should be changed. As for the international, I am required to represent the Ministry, not my own beliefs."

"I might be willing to accept your impotence regarding the Wizengamot and the international, but what about Hogwarts? Do you or don't you have control over your school?"

"The Board of Governors–"

"Are irrelevant if you're doing your job properly!" Moody said, interrupting the man's excuses again.

"Face it, Albus, either your age or the pressure you're under has affected your judgement, and your actions are affecting all of us, and not in a good way."

Dumbledore appeared to consider this. "Severus said much the same thing last night. Do you truly believe this, Alastor?"

"Albus, tell me; does it make any sense to hide the most desired magical object in the world inside a school full of children? To hide a Cerberus behind a door that a simple Alohomora can open? It's a miracle half the school didn't die.

"What about the chamber of secrets? The Grangers' daughter worked out a basilisk was involved, so why didn't you? For that matter, why didn't you send the students home when kids started getting petrified? Well?"

"I'm sorry, Alastor. I doubt any reasons I gave you would satisfy you. I assure you that the students were safe in my care."

"Like the Diggory boy was?"

Albus looked down for a moment, before looking back at Alastor. "No, Alastor, not like Cedric Diggory. His death was a tragedy, but he was Portkeyed away from Hogwarts and outside of my control."

"Yes, he was, in a tournament that should never have been run again. That was another one of your errors in judgement, wasn't it?"

Albus considered his words for a moment before answering the implied accusation. "Tell me, Alastor, what is it that you, Minerva, Remus and Nymphadora are doing here with Harry and his friends. Training him perhaps? I think training him to be better able to face his destiny is an excellent idea."

"Then why haven't you started training him yourself then?"

The headmaster's eyes started to twinkle, and Moody suddenly saw the verbal trap swing closed. "Are you so sure I haven't been? I wonder; does he seem to be more advanced than other students his age? Able to cast spells beyond his year level, like a Patronus, for example? How about his ability to teach defence to students – even Ravenclaw students in higher year levels than his own?"

"Enough!" Remus yelled, losing his patience. The day before a full moon was hard enough to manage at the best of times. "This isn't getting us anywhere. Moody, I'm sorry, but you will never win an argument against Albus. If you even start getting close he'll simply bring out his 'Greater Good' excuse, so it's a waste of time.

"Albus, you can sit there as self-righteous as you like, as confident in your plans and decisions as you like, but answer me this. If you are so right and just, why has your phoenix judged you lacking and left you to bond with Harry?"

Albus turned his gaze on Remus in surprise, and a small frown appeared to form.

"Perhaps Fawkes has seen what we have – that your actions have strayed from the light. The Muggles have a couple of sayings, Headmaster, which I'm sure you must have heard before. The first is; 'the road to Hell is paved with good intentions', and the second is; 'power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely'."

Albus nodded. "I know of them. I even met Lord Acton once."

"Excuse me?" Remus asked, not understanding the reference.

"Your second quote. I believe Lord Acton actually said; 'power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely'.

"Albus, what…?" Remus asked, confused at why the man would be prattling on about inconsequential corrections.

"Of course, I was a lot younger at the time–"

"Albus! Now is hardly the time for a trip down memory lane. Either you're stalling, or you truly are losing your judgement!"

Albus looked around at the faces of the people in the tent. These were good people. Remus and Alastor were dedicated to the light, and one only needed to know Miss Granger, to know her parents were good people as well. He was truly saddened that he couldn't reach an accord with them.

"I'm sorry that my visit has caused such unhappiness. The reason I came here was only to reassure you that your friends were well, and should be returning this morning. Perhaps I ought to have made that clear at the beginning, instead of getting caught up in everyone's reactions to my appearance.

"But I thought I had the situation under control, and that I had time to enjoy your company. I was wrong. I caused you to worry, and this dear lady to fear for her family and friends. For that I must apologise again." He stood and slowly walked the short distance to Emma, taking her hand and patting it as he murmured another apology to her.

Straightening to his full height again, he addressed the group. "I think perhaps it would be best if I left you to your holiday plans. You are welcome to contact me if there is anything I can do to help. Please be safe. Goodbye."

As he said the last few words, he moved his hand slightly and his wand flew quickly into it just before he disapparated away.

~o~


	26. Chapter 26: Black Heart

**Thoughts of Pudding by Brian64.**

**Chapter 26: Black Heart.**

_Saturday 29th June, 1996._

Narcissa Malfoy stared at the letter she'd just finished reading, her face blank and her half-eaten breakfast ignored.

The owl that had delivered it was now long gone, as it had no interest in staying to observe her reactions. If it had, it might have wondered why the woman didn't start sobbing with grief or yelling in anger. It may even have thought that the lack of emotion displayed meant that the woman didn't care that much about the demands made in the letter.

It would have been surprised to learn that Narcissa was just far too shocked to be able to react with either tears or rage.

By the time she had recovered a little, she still didn't give in to the sobs she felt bubbling in her chest, or the screams she heard in the back of her mind, urging her to give them voice.

But she couldn't afford the luxury of giving in to her feelings. She didn't have the time to waste.

~o~

Back at Näshultasjön, another mother also ignored her breakfast.

Somehow Dumbledore's acceptance and forgiveness of her actions made Emma feel worse, rather than better. Logically, she could easily agree with the arguments that she had done what she needed to do, but her heart still hadn't accepted it yet.

She looked up as she noticed the two girls leaving the tent, and her heart fell a little more as she saw that Hermione was having trouble meeting her gaze.

~o~

Hermione felt herself being dragged straight back into the tent she'd just left a moment ago, and looked into the stern visage of her friend.

"I thought you understood after we talked about Harry last night! Don't you think that you should support the people you love whether you believe they've made a mistake or not? Don't you realise how much your mother must love you if she would attack a powerful wizard like Dumbledore to protect you? Your mother is hurting right now, Hermione, and you're making it even worse for her. She doesn't need your judgement, she needs your–"

As Luna was speaking, Hermione's expression shifted from shame to chagrin, until she became completely distraught. She broke free of Luna's grip and rushed out of the tent and into her mother's arms.

Luna smiled as she watched mother and daughter reconcile. She sensed her father walk up behind her, and she turned as he wrapped her in his arms. "You are so very special, my Luna, and I love you so very much."

"I love you too, Daddy."

~o~

It was a slightly annoyed group of travellers that walked into the camp later that morning, and Luna and Hermione didn't take long to greet the youngest of the three. Luna did manage to run faster than Hermione, but restrained herself to a kiss on the cheek along with her tight hug and greeting. She released him into Hermione's arms, and the girl followed Luna's example of just kissing his cheek since everyone else was watching them.

Once they'd all sat down, Minerva explained what had happened the previous evening fairly completely, though she didn't identify which curse Harry had cast at Snape. In turn, Remus, with frequent interruptions from Moody, described the events of their evening at the camp.

"So how did you get back?" Remus asked, once the stories had been told.

"We can't tell you," Tonks grumpily replied.

"Let's just say that we talked to some extremely short and gold-obsessed people who don't want their customers talking about what they can or can't do with their many doors, and are prepared to make their vault-holders swear oaths about it if you can finally convince them to help." Harry said.

Tonks looked at Harry with an expression of wry amusement.

"What? I didn't tell them how we got back."

"No, but you led them along the path to working it out."

"And your point is?"

"Just be careful you don't end up losing your magic someday while trying to outsmart an oath, that's all. If you start feeling a pressure building in your chest, stop talking immediately, alright?"

Harry nodded, then after a few moments he withdrew a small box from his pocket and placed it on the table the group was sitting around. After enlarging it, he removed the shrunken Pensieve and enlarged that as well after placing it on the table.

"On the plus side, we now have a Pensieve full of memories, as well as another bunch of memories in the vials in this box. I'm not sure how to use it yet though," he admitted.

"I can help you with that, Harry," Minerva said. "It's a fairly straightforward process to deposit and retrieve memories. Although now that I think on it, I'm not sure how we go about sorting through multiple memories that have been deposited in the Pensieve, when you don't know what those memories are."

"Are there any instructions in the box?" Hermione asked.

Harry looked inside, and found some folded parchment tucked in behind the vials. After skimming through it briefly, he grinned and nodded as he handed the parchment to her, knowing that she would demand it if he didn't.

"We really should have picked up some more of those glass vials while we were in Västerlånggatan," Harry mused. "It would be good to get all those memories sorted out and be able to add some more, like those lessons Vanir promised."

"Yeah, well it isn't as though we didn't think about it, is it? But it seems that _someone_ was more interested in getting back to camp to make sure certain people were okay instead."

"Yeah, alright, it's my own fault, Tonks. But we still need the vials and I can't ask Fawkes to take me to the apothecary."

"No problem, Harry. I can just pop over and pick some up if you've got some galleons handy. Want me to see Vanir while I'm out?"

Harry shook his head. "There's no rush. We don't even know what we've got in here yet, so let's clean up the Pensieve before we worry about adding anything else. Besides, I don't want you going anywhere. You should rest after taking that curse last night."

"Oi! Big, tough Auror here. I don't need a nursemaid, or to be treated like I'm fragile, alright?"

"Stow it, Tonks," Moody said, joining the argument. "Taking it easy for a day to recover some more won't kill you. You know that if the situation was reversed you wouldn't let Potter even take a piss without someone to hold his hand, so don't be such a hypocrite."

He stared expectantly at Tonks until she gave a reluctant grunt and half shrug of acknowledgement of his point before he turned to Harry. "Give me your galleons, Potter, and I'll do your shopping for you."

After taking Harry's money bag, he sent a significant look at Minerva before disapparating.

The look didn't go unnoticed by Dan. "What was that all about?"

"It's just Alastor being himself. That look means he expects me to ensure everyone stays safe while he's not here, or I'll be answering to him when he gets back." Minerva replied.

Dan shook his head in bemusement. "I don't really understand him at all. Last night he was driving us all crazy because you three weren't back here on time, and this morning he's popped off to do some shopping. I'd have thought he'd want to stay here, especially since Dumbledore's been around. He just seems a little inconsistent if you ask me."

"I can see where you're coming from, but Moody follows his own logic," Remus said, joining the discussion. "For one thing, he wouldn't trust anyone but himself to leave the camp by themselves, and he also believes in the 'safety in numbers' approach, which means the more people here & not shopping, then the safer we are. Besides, we obliviated Dumbledore's memory before he woke up, so he shouldn't be able to find us again."

"Doesn't that assume he didn't do his mind reading trick to learn our location again before he left?" Dan asked.

Remus gave him an approving nod. "Good point, though I don't think he had much opportunity since he was involved in conversation most of the time, and not to mention he would have been suffering an extremely painful headache. I don't think even he could have focussed enough to perform wandless Legilimency under those circumstances; though we shouldn't rule it out."

"Hey, do you think we can carry this conversation on after we get some food? I don't know about you lot, but we left Hogwarts before breakfast, and I'm not going to be doing much recovering if I'm too busy starving to death, now am I? How about it, Three? Feel up to feeding your gorgeous cousin before she wastes away to nothing?"

Harry smiled at her. "Yeah, no worries, Tonks. Double serve of bacon and eggs coming right up."

After he left for the tent, Hermione rounded on Tonks. "He's not your House-Elf, Tonks. You shouldn't take advantage of Harry like that!"

"Relax, Hermione, I know what I'm doing. I don't need to use Legilimency to know that he feels guilty about the fact that I got hurt last night. Just use a little Harry-logic for a minute. If he hadn't insisted on going along to confront Dumbledore, then I wouldn't have been there as his bodyguard. And if I wasn't there, then I wouldn't have been cursed by Snape. Therefore, to his way of thinking, it's entirely his fault that I was cursed. You follow?"

Hermione nodded her agreement, looking embarrassed at not having considered those points herself.

"So, I can either talk to him about it until I'm blue in the face, and he'll just nod along and still feel guilty. Or… I can give him a bunch of things to do for me that will help him feel like he's making things right, and which will actually make him feel better. Personally I think it's a win, win situation! I've always wanted to be pampered by a cute cabana boy, and now's my chance! Don't mess it up for me, Herms, alright?"

As Hermione opened her mouth to respond, Tonks just winked cheekily at her. Closing her mouth, the girl just shook her head and left whatever she was going to say unsaid.

"Fine! Well, I'll just go see if I can help him, even if it's just making something for him to eat!" She stalked off towards the tent Harry had entered before she stopped and turned to Minerva. "Umm, sorry, can I get you anything?"

Minerva smiled and walked over to her student, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Come along, Hermione. We can both help."

Tonks watched them walk off and turned to Remus. "Hey, Wolfie, I don't suppose you have any massage oil packed away do you?" At his blank expression, she gave an exaggerated sigh. "Well, you're no use then are you? Can you at least think of a reason to send Moody back out again to pick some up once he gets back?"

Remus chuckled and stood up. "You're on your own, Tonks. I think I'll go see if they need any help making some tea."

"Coward!" Tonks called after him, making him laugh again. She looked over at the Grangers and noticed that Emma was smiling now, and beckoned the woman over to the seat next to her. "C'mon Em, how about sharing some ideas on how I can take advantage of this situation? I'm sure you've got some useful tips to pass on that you've tested on your fella over there."

Emma grinned. "Sorry, Tonks. Any ideas I could share would count as; 'contributing to the delinquency of a minor'."

Tonks smirked back at her. "I can't say I'm not disappointed that you won't share now, but we are definitely going to have to talk sometime! Oh well, guess I'll just have to put my thinking cap on. This is going to be a great day!"

~o~

Amelia Bones appeared in her office in the DMLE, and was relieved to find only Kingsley present, as previously arranged. She turned to the House-Elf that had brought her. "Thank you, Kreacher. Please return to the house and look after Susan now. I will call you when I am ready to return."

"Kreacher is sorry, but he isn't a young elf and may not be able to obey Amelia Bones."

"Why not?"

"If Kreacher goes back to the house now, then he will need to rest for a while before he will be strong enough to come back and then take Amelia Bones to the house again. Taking people to places is hard for old Kreacher. Kreacher is sorry."

"I wish you had told me this before, Kreacher"

"Kreacher didn't know that Amelia Bones wanted Kreacher to go back to the house before bringing her back as well. If Kreacher stays here then he will be strong enough to take Amelia Bones back to the house soon."

"Very well. You will hide in this office unseen until I return here or call for you. I assume that you can pop to wherever I am in this building and then take us back to the house if necessary?"

"Yes, Kreacher can do that."

Amelia nodded at him and then waved him away in dismissal. While she wasn't comfortable with Susan being alone in that rotten old house, it didn't seem like she had much choice in the matter. The Floo had been locked down, so Kreacher was the only way in or out, unless she planned on apparating to the street and walking in the front door, and that was just asking for trouble. If there weren't Death Eaters staking that place out, she'd eat Fudge's hat. Constant Vigilance, and all that.

"Alright, Kingsley. The Wizengamot meeting should be starting soon to elect the new Minister now that they've accepted that idiot's resignation. I don't need to tell you to keep your eyes open, do I? There's no telling how many Death Eaters or sympathisers Malfoy's managed to have installed here thanks to Fudge's greed."

"Don't worry, Director. I'll be keeping my eyes open and my wand ready."

"Good. So how are things at the PM's office? Any problems getting the day off?"

"Not at all. In the Muggle world, secretaries get the weekend off, even the PM's unless there is a crisis. Perhaps I should be asking for time and a half for working today?"

"How about you take that suggestion up with the new Minister," Amelia replied, with some amusement.

"I'll send you a memo on Monday then."

"We'll see," Amelia said, drawing her wand and holding it close to the tip with just the sides of her index and middle fingers. With most of her wand up her sleeve and her hand flat, most people wouldn't even notice she held it. More of that Constant Vigilance Moody had drummed into her as a trainee Auror. Others might treat his favourite saying as a joke, but the first time it had saved her life she'd adopted it as her motto, and would have snogged the irascible old bugger in thanks if she didn't think he'd assume it was an attack.

"I'm ready. Let's go."

~o~

Andromeda Tonks was enjoying a break from her cooking and was relaxing with a good book, when two people exited her Floo unexpectedly.

"Narcissa? And Draco, what a surprise. I wasn't expecting you until this evening, sister dear," she said, while they cleaned themselves up.

"I'm sorry, Andi, but thanks to a letter I received this morning I couldn't wait. Perhaps we should sit and I can show it to you?"

A few minutes later, and Andromeda was frowning over the letter. She looked over at Draco for his reaction, but the boy's expression remained as neutral as it had been since he arrived.

"I haven't told Draco yet," Narcissa said, noticing her glance.

"What are you planning to do?"

"I'll go with her myself, and see if I can't negotiate a different arrangement."

"You're a fool, Narcissa. There will be no negotiation. You'll just be killed."

"Perhaps, perhaps not. But I have to try."

"No! There is no 'perhaps not', about it, and you know it!"

"And what would you do in my place? What if you were ordered to hand over Nymphadora for the cause?"

Andromeda stared at her sister for a while before she spoke again. "What is it you are planning?"

"I want to make you Draco's guardian. As his Aunt we can make it magically binding and–"

"No, Narcissa, I can't do it."

"You must! As you said, I may not be successful and–"

"I didn't say I wouldn't, I said I can't. Have you forgotten the will reading a few days ago? I'm no longer Draco's Aunt, as he cast himself out of the Black family. He disowned himself, and therefore Magic will no longer recognise our relationship. Should you decide to take up Sirius' offer to become a Black again, you will no longer be his mother for the same reason. Legally, yes, I am still his Aunt, but we are magical creatures, Narcissa, as you are well aware, and magic can no longer bind Draco to me."

Narcissa started to panic. She had forgotten about Draco's stupid declaration, and now her plans – such as they were – were in tatters. Without the binding, Andi would not be able to enforce Draco's compliance with her directions, and he would be able to ignore her. She couldn't even order Draco to obey his Aunt, because those orders would no longer have any force if she died.

"What if Draco were to accept himself as a Black again?" she asked, knowing she was clutching at straws, as her tears started to fall and her composure fled her. She'd only been able to hold herself together with the thought that her sister could protect Draco while she tried to bargain for his life.

Andromeda moved to comfort her younger sister. "Cissy, you know that only Lord Black can accept Draco back into the family. You need to talk with Harry Potter. Go to Gringotts and see if they can get a message to him. Draco can stay here until you get back or…"

Narcissa nodded, and gave her sister a squeeze before letting go and wiping away her tears.

She turned to her son. "Draco, you will stay here and follow my sister's instructions until I return for you."

"And my wand?"

"I'll give it to your Aunt," she replied, matching word to deed as she handed his wand to her. She nodded to her sister and then Flooed out to Gringotts.

Andromeda regarded her nephew and he tried to return her stare for a while, but looked away first.

"I do not believe you to be completely stupid, Draco, and while you may not know the contents of the letter your mother received, I'm sure from our conversation you now have some idea of what it contained?

Draco tried to maintain his neutral mask. "I would assume that the Dark Lord has asked for me to join him, but my mother intends to try and convince him otherwise."

"A good guess, but not close enough. Your Dark Lord has essentially ordered your death – unless of course you are arrogant enough to believe that you can kill Albus Dumbledore? You are to be marked, and then ordered to kill him or die trying. Your mother will try to convince your Dark Lord to assign the task to another, but we all know that he expects you to fail, and that this is just punishment for your father's failure."

She watched as Draco's eyes widened, betraying the neutrality he was trying to display, and then delivered her final barb. "I believe your mother hopes that her death will suffice for his wrath, and that you will then be spared."

With that said she left her nephew and returned to the kitchen to continue preparing dinner. If it wouldn't devastate Narcissa, then she'd almost be willing to kill the arrogant little snot herself for his stupidity in following that psychopathic Half-Blood.

Of course, none of her annoyance with her nephew had anything to do with how he and his mother had interrupted her reading. She'd just have to wait until later to find out how Scarlett planned to avoid being seduced by the totally delicious Count Belgar, assuming the silly witch was going to try.

~o~

That afternoon, an owl flew swiftly back to Gringotts after delivering a letter to Harry Potter. There weren't enough owl treats in the world to convince it to ever return again. Not after some maniac had tried to blast it out of the sky just for doing its job.

Harry sighed as he finished reading the letter he'd received. It was too much to hope for that this was some bad joke.

Tonks twisted around from the chair in front of him with a scowl on her face. "Come on, Three, you've read your letter now so get back to work. My neck isn't going to rub itself you know, and you've barely started on my scalp. Chop-chop!"

He handed her the letter with a wry grin. "It's from your Aunt."

As Tonks read the letter, Harry took a seat himself and waited for her to finish. "I knew that stupid tosser would be nothing but trouble. Just let him burn, Harry. He's not worth the effort."

"You don't really mean that, Tonks, but I'll admit it is tempting."

"Spill it, Potter. What does the letter say?" Moody demanded, his limited patience having already expired. The day he couldn't even hit a bloody owl was the day he should turn his wand on himself.

"Just read it out, Tonks. Everyone's going to want to know what it says, so might as well save some time," Harry suggested.

Clearing her throat dramatically, Tonks began to speak in an overly posh tone, only slightly imitating Narcissa.

_"Milord Potter,_

_I trust that this letter finds you well and in good spirits._

_I have given careful consideration to the suggestions made by our dear and sadly departed cousin, and wish to have my marriage to Lucius Malfoy annulled if you would be willing to allow it to be so._

_There is, however, another boon I would ask of you, my Lord. As my son foolishly and mistakenly disowned himself from the Black family, I am now only connected to him through my ties to the Malfoy name. Should I give that name up, I would have no further opportunity to moderate his behaviour._

_I beg of you to accept him back into the Black family as my son, and then I can make some arrangements before accepting the annulment._

_I hesitate to be so rude as to mention this, but due to circumstances outside of my control I am in desperate need of your agreement to this request at your earliest convenience. I am quite prepared to disclose these to you in person, but a letter is too insecure._

_I am currently with my sister, Andromeda Tonks, and fervently hope that you will choose to meet me at her house, or any other location you advise me to attend you with my son._

_I remain, your most humble and obedient servant._

_Narcissa Malfoy"_

As Tonks finished her recital, Moody stood up and started muttering curses as he paced around. "Alright, Potter, you and Tonks go and get changed into something a little more formal and I'll do the same. Be back in ten minutes and you can see if you can work your charms on the goblins again."

Everyone simply stared at him. "Are you feeling okay, Mad-Eye?" Tonks eventually asked him.

"Cut the shite, Tonks. You know there's no chance of Potter not going along with her request, so the best thing to do is make it as safe for him as possible. The two of us should be able to keep him out of trouble with a couple of precautions. Like a couple of extra Portkeys, and maybe a spare wand to tuck in his sock for just-in-case."

"You continue to surprise me, Alastor. And here I had thought that even you couldn't learn new tricks. Now if only we could teach you not to use double negatives…"

"Was that supposed to be humour, Minerva? Perhaps I'm not the only person to try something new this decade?" Moody snarked back.

"Oh, be off with you," Minerva said, her tone making it obvious she hadn't taken offense at his comment.

~o~

They weren't kept waiting long once they'd arrived at Gringotts.

"Ah, Griphook. Just the goblin I wanted to see. I wonder if I might be able to speak with–"

"Director Ragnok has already approved your request, Lord Potter. I took the liberty of informing him that Narcissa Malfoy had requested urgent contact with you, and we anticipated your likely need. The same oaths will be required as before, and we will arrange for your appropriate departure from Gringotts in both directions. Will there be anything else?

"Uh, no thank you."

"Then make your oaths and leave. When you have concluded your business in England, ask for me and I will facilitate your return to Sweden."

~o~

"Hello, Mum."

"Nymphadora! I'd hoped to see you again. Welcome, Mister Potter. Come in please. And you can only be Master Auror Moody. I'm pleased to meet you. Do be a dear and don't wave that at me if you can help it."

She led her guests into the sitting room where Narcissa and Draco waited, and they both stood up. "Right, here we are then. I'll just bring some refreshments. Can I encourage you to stay for dinner?"

"I'm afraid that won't be possible, Mrs Tonks, but thank you for the kind invitation," Moody replied politely. "We need to get Potter back as soon as possible."

Andromeda nodded as though expecting the answer, and left the room. As she did so, Narcissa walked over and curtsied formally to Harry. "Thank you for coming so promptly, Milord."

"Just call me Harry please, Mrs Malfoy."

"Perhaps once we have concluded our business, Milord. Shall we sit?" Narcissa waited until everyone but Moody had taken a seat. The old ex-Auror preferred to stand, and did so making sure his wand was trained on Draco, but easily able to target Narcissa, or anyone walking into the room.

"May I ask your decision regarding my requests?"

Harry took a moment before responding. This was his first official action as Lord Black, and he intended to do it without stuttering and stammering like a schoolkid. He glanced over at Malfoy and noted his poise and self-assuredness, and decided he should be able to match the ferret.

"Mrs Malfoy, I have given your request to have your son rejoin the Black family some thought, and I believe that to be possible with some conditions. He will need to make an unbreakable vow that he will not willingly bear Voldemort's Dark Mark, and will not willingly join his Death Eaters, nor knowingly support Voldemort or anyone he suspects to be one of Voldemort's followers. He will also need to vow not to betray any Black family members, which includes myself."

Narcissa wilted, wondering how she would be able to convince her son to make that vow. It would solve so many of her concerns if he would, but based on his reaction the previous day, it seemed quite unlikely.

"I would be happy to make that vow to you, Lord Black, providing that, in return, you make a vow to protect my mother to the best of your ability."

"No, Draco!" Narcissa said, shocked. "He can't do that."

"Your mother's right, laddie," Moody said, with grudging respect. "I will not allow Potter to make such a vow."

"That's my price. I know what my mother plans to do, and if I make that vow she will feel free to sacrifice herself to try and save me from the Dark Lord. I keep hearing that you've fought him, Potter, and whether I believe it or not, there is no denying that you are still here. In any case, if you wish to be respected as Lord Black, then you must accept the responsibilities that go with it, and that includes protecting Black family members.

"So what's it to be, _Milord?_"

~o~


	27. Chapter 27: Building Rome

**Thoughts of Pudding by Brian64.**

**Chapter 27: Building Rome.**

_Saturday 29th June, 1996._

Harry maintained his eye contact with Draco as he considered the request. _It did seem to be a fair trade after all, and the ferret did have a point. Shouldn't he be willing to look after the Black family members if he was their Lord?_

"I told you, Malfoy, the answer is no. Potter won't be making any such vow to you, or to your mother. Tell him, Potter!" Moody ordered.

_On the other hand, this was Malfoy, and he wasn't to be trusted. Besides, what was a Lord actually responsible for? Where was the–_

His thoughts were interrupted again by Moody. "Potter, don't tell me you're actually considering it? I won't let you–"

"Why don't you shut up and let me think! And just for the record, you have no authority over me. I'm emancipated, remember?"

"This isn't the time for this, Potter!" Moody said, almost growling his response.

"You're damn right it isn't! This is the time for Black family matters to be decided, and since _you_ aren't a Black you have _no say in it!_" Harry said angrily, and then caught himself before he said anything else. He calmed himself down before continuing. "Look, I do appreciate your help in looking out for me, I really do, but you don't get to order me around and tell me what you will or won't let me do. I had enough of that from Dumbledore, and I don't need anyone taking his place."

Moody narrowed his eyes and Harry could tell he wasn't going to let it go. He decided to get in first and try to reason with him.

"Weren't you the one who wanted me to think things through in order to respond thoughtfully instead of reacting emotionally? So why don't you let me do that then? Let me at least make a decision before you complain about it."

Moody's expression turned hard and he half-folded his arms. His wand started tapping his left shoulder as he stared at Harry.

Feeling he was in the right, Harry stared back comfortably until Moody gave a small nod and returned to glaring at Draco. His wand still tapping his shoulder as though reminding everyone he would have no hesitation using it.

Harry took a moment to steady his breathing down and repeat his mantra. He realised his outburst at Moody, while necessary, was probably not the way Lord Black was expected to behave. Well, there wasn't much he could do about that now. Or was there?

He inclined his head slightly to Narcissa. "My apologies for my outburst, I'm sure it was inappropriate. It did, however, remind me of a good point," he said, and then turned to her son. "While Moody isn't a Black, The fact is, neither are you, Draco. Actually, even if I accept your vow, both you and your mother would still be Malfoys first and Blacks second. Am I right?"

He waited for their acknowledgement, and looked between the two of them to see who would answer.

Eventually Narcissa responded for her son, and gave him a glare for not doing so himself. "In substance, that is correct. Our first loyalties are currently to the Malfoy family."

Harry nodded. "Then I'm sure you'll understand why I have no intention of making any vows to assist either of you while your first loyalty is to my enemy. We can review your expectations of me once your first loyalty is to the Black family, but I won't be making any vows about it."

"Then I won't be taking your vow either, Potter," Draco said, sneering at Harry.

Harry smirked back. "That's not really my problem, is it, Malfoy? It was your mother that wanted you restored as a Black, not me. You can burn in Hell for all I care. My responsibility is to Blacks, not Malfoys."

"Milord, please reconsider!" Narcissa asked, seeing her chance at saving Draco slipping through her fingers.

"I'm sorry. It isn't up to me. If your son changes his mind, you know how to contact me. Mrs Tonks, thank you for your hospitality, but I think we'll be leaving now."

"Wait, please," Narcissa asked again, and then turned to her son. "Draco, make the vow!"

"But you'll–"

"_Make the vow!_"

Draco stared at her for a moment before nodding in defeat. His mother rushed over in relief and embraced him, kissing his temple, before looking over expectantly at Harry, who in turn looked over at Moody.

Moody grudgingly nodded his approval, and then gave a significant look at Tonks.

She looked back at him blankly for a second or two before she realised what he wanted. "Right, sorry… was off in my own little world for a minute there." She drew her wand and moved to a better position so she could keep an eye on everything.

Moody approached the boys once Tonks was on guard. "Right you two. Sleeves up a bit, if you please, and grasp hands." He waited until they'd complied, then placed the tip of his wand where their hands were joined. He nodded to Harry.

"Will you, Draco, vow to not willingly accept the Dark Mark of the wizard known as Voldemort, or willingly join his group commonly known as Death Eaters?" Harry asked.

"I will," Draco said clearly.

As he spoke, a thin tongue of brilliant flame issued from Moody's wand and wound its way around their linked hands like a red-hot wire.

"And will you, Draco, vow to not knowingly support Voldemort or anyone you know or suspect to be one of his followers or sympathisers in any way?

"I will," Draco repeated again, with only slightly less confidence as he realised he was actually making the vow.

Moody's wand spat out another flame which linked with the first.

"And finally, will you, Draco, vow to not betray any members of the Black family, including the current Lord Black; Harry Potter?"

"I will," Draco said, resignedly, his voice little more than a whisper.

A third flame leapt from Moody's wand and twisted with the others, binding itself thickly around the clasped hands like a fiery snake.

Moody raised his wand slowly, as though surprised that Draco had actually gone through with it after all.

The two teenagers looked at their hands for a moment after the glow faded, and then each released the other's hand as though they'd been holding a snake.

"Milord Black?" Narcissa asked, reminding Harry of his own agreement.

Harry nodded. "I, Harry James Potter, Lord Black, declare here and now that I accept Draco Malfoy into the Black family as the son of Narcissa Malfoy, formerly Narcissa Black."

At the brief flash of magic, Narcissa embraced her son again.

"Right, that's done. Time to go, Potter, we need to be getting back. Thank you, Mrs Tonks. Goodbye, all." Moody hustled the group together, and then activated the Portkey while Harry was still smirking at Draco's embarrassment from the mothering he was receiving.

~o~

As they arrived back at Näshultasjön, Moody gestured for Harry to follow him. "We need to talk," he said brusquely, leading them off a short distance so they had some privacy.

"Right, listen up, as I'm not planning to say this again."

Harry nodded and readied his response to Moody's likely tirade.

"You were right, and I was wrong."

"What? I mean… uh, right. Thanks for saying so," Harry replied, not expecting to hear that admission at all.

"Now, I'll see what I can do about giving you a little more rope to play with, but if I see you about to hang yourself with it, then I'm going to interfere, and I'm not going to be arguing about it at the time."

"Fair enough, but I'm sure you understand I'm not always going to agree with you about where that rope is."

"You'll just have to trust me on that."

"Why?"

"Why? Because I didn't last as an Auror this long without learning a thing or two, that's why!"

Harry thought about what he wanted to say, but decided it would probably sound too arrogant. _Oh to hell with it_, he eventually decided.

"Tell me, Moody, how old were you when you first fought a troll? I was eleven. What about slaying a thousand year old basilisk? I killed my first one at twelve with a sword. Here's an easy one – how many Dementors can your Patronus scare off? My stag took care of over a hundred when I was thirteen. Have you outflown a Hungarian Horntail yet? I did that at fourteen, as well as rescuing _two_ hostages from the black lake during the second task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Oh yeah, I also won that tournament while I was fourteen and competing against three over-seventeen year olds. Should we talk about how many times I've faced Voldemort and his Death Eaters?"

"Alright, alright, you've made your point," Moody said, then conjured a couple of chairs for them to sit down on.

"I actually did know about all of that, but it's easy to forget about it when you spend most of your time taking the back seat to everyone else and getting embarrassed about every little thing. You're Harry Potter! You don't need to wear a badge for people to know that, but if you start acting more like it, then you'll get more of that respect you're looking for."

"I am trying," Harry replied.

"And if you keep working at it like you did with the Malfoys, then you'll get there," Moody said, clapping him on the shoulder.

Harry thought about something else he'd been curious about, and decided now was as good a time to raise it as any. Making sure his wand was in his hand, he asked the question he'd been wondering for a while.

"Okay, Mad-Eye, since we're having this nice little heart-to-heart chat, maybe you can explain something I haven't worked out yet. Why did you ignore my requests to drop the subject and tell everyone about my cupboard after we left Privet Drive?"

"Did that topic make you uncomfortable?" Moody asked.

"Do I really need to answer that? I should think that would be obvious!"

"Exactly!" Moody answered, slapping his knee in emphasis. "Now imagine you and your friends are in a fight with some Death Eaters. All of a sudden one of them, maybe Bellatrix, starts taunting you about growing up in your cupboard. Is that the best time for you and your friends to deal with that little titbit of information do you think?

"Or would it be better to get it out in the open in a less dangerous environment, hmm? Secrets can cost lives, Potter. I think you know that better than anyone, especially given what happened because Albus didn't think you needed to know some things."

Harry nodded his understanding. "Yeah, alright, I get it now. I still think you could have found a better way of doing it though."

"Maybe, but then again I'm a grumpy old bastard, and I don't have the patience to pussyfoot around. If I see a problem, I solve it. That's my style. If I waited around trying to find the perfect opportunity for something, it might be too late. The 'curse first and apologise later' approach might not win many friends, but it does help keep you alive."

Harry gave him a small smile. "Well, you might want to work on that approach of yours, 'cause I see the _'curse first'_ part all the time, but you seem to forget all about the _'apologise later'_ part. Well, mostly."

"Just as well you have your wand in hand, Potter," Moody replied, before becoming a little more serious. "Are we good now?"

"Yeah, we're good."

"Good," Moody said, giving Harry a firm handshake. "You did well today, lad. Keep at it. Now go talk to your girlfriends before they come looking for me to hex."

_Damn it!_ Harry thought as he was unable to prevent his blush from rising.

Moody just laughed as they walked back to the camp.

~o~

Hermione had been having a generally rotten morning. Yesterday evening was definitely rotten as well, and thinking back on it, most of the rest of yesterday wasn't that great either apart from a few highlights with Harry.

"Come on, Hermione, let's go for a walk," her mother suggested, interrupting her daughter's brooding.

She nodded, and followed her mother as she led the way to the banks of the lake, where they could admire the scenery as they strolled. Hermione was a little surprised as her mother took her hand.

They saw a boat in the distance with white smoke coming from a single exhaust pipe in the middle of the roof. A garland of pennants met the pipe from both the bow and stern making the boat look almost festive.

"That must be the Gerda," Hermione said. "Vanir told us about it when we met him for lunch."

"Yes, I remember you telling us about it. We should find out where to board it so that we can take a cruise on the lake."

"I think it might be 'Esskil Stoona', or at least, that's what it sounded like. I remember Vanir saying something about them fixing it up recently, but I suppose that doesn't mean it actually docks there," Hermione offered, feeling a little more dejected. She now realised she should have paid more attention to Vanir when he talked about it, and asked more questions to clarify these things. Especially since he'd recommended they take a trip on it.

"Not to worry, we can pick up some maps and travel brochures next time we're out, or perhaps Harry can ask Vanir next time he sees him to get those spell casting memories."

Hermione just nodded her reply.

Emma just observed her daughter for a moment, before asking her to create a park bench for them to sit down on. She waited until they were both seated, and then put an arm around the girl's waist as they looked across the lake, watching the Gerda as it slowly shrank into the distance.

"Sweetie, it's not hard to work out that you don't seem very happy at the moment, and your dad and I were wondering if we ought to do something about it. He thought we should just hold you down and tickle you like we did when you were younger, but I suggested you might prefer to talk first."

Hermione couldn't help but smile at the remembered tickling from when she was a child. It was hard to stay annoyed and irritable when you were laughing so hard and your parents were laughing along with you. She must have spent too long thinking about it, as she felt a couple of fingers start to wiggle suggestively against her side as though in preparation for an attack.

"It's just… I don't know. I just feel so stupid lately," she confessed.

Emma sighed as her suspicions were confirmed. "Hermione, you're not stupid. You're highly intelligent and you know it. The thing is though, because you are so smart, you tend to rely too much on your books and cleverness to help you, and ignore your feelings, like–"

"Like friendship and bravery," she said, interrupting, then got lost in her thoughts as she remembered when she'd recited those same words to Harry.

"And love," her mother concluded. "It's good to see you remember what we told you all those years ago, when you were having trouble getting along at school."

When Hermione didn't reply, she decided to prompt a response. "Alright, have you given any thought to why you are feeling stupid, or are you just wallowing in your stupidity?" she asked in a teasing tone.

Hermione just shook her head and Emma started to feel a little exasperated. "Honestly, Hermione, I thought we taught you better than that? If you have a problem, you look at it from all sides, and if you need help with it, then you ask for it. Nobody can be expected to know all the answers, not even you."

Hermione just nodded unhappily. She knew all this of course, but there seemed to be a great chasm between knowing something and doing it lately.

When it became clear that Hermione wasn't going to respond, Emma decided to go to the heart of the matter. "Do you remember when we talked a few days ago about Harry with your dad and Luna? The thing is, at the time you weren't showing many signs of the stress we were worried about. But now, it seems that with your focus on Harry, we don't think you've really spent much time dealing with what you went through yourself. Would you agree?"

Hermione gave a small shrug before nodding.

"I think, and your dad agrees with me, that your problem is that you're trying to deal with the emotional confusion around this relationship triangle you're in with Harry, while you still haven't properly resolved your feelings over what happened at your school. You've always had very high expectations of yourself – and it's not a bad thing to set your sights high – but it does sometimes make it harder to ask for help, doesn't it?"

"Sometimes…" Hermione said softly. She hadn't taken the time to step back and look at things, but she could understand what her mother was talking about of course.

Emma gave her a squeeze in encouragement, and felt her daughter's arms wrap around her own waist.

"Where would you like to start?"

~o~

As Harry and Moody walked back into camp, Tonks spotted them and approached them. She started complaining to Moody almost as soon as they were in sight. "Oi! What's the big idea stealing my masseur? Go find your own!" With that, she grabbed Harry's arm and started dragging him off. "Come on, you've got a neck to rub!"

"Your neck? I thought you got hit in your chest? I could take care of that for you I suppose… have you got some cream or potion you want me to rub in?"

Tonks stopped dead in her tracks, which caused Harry to stop as well as she still had a grip on his arm. Moody started laughing his head off as he'd still been within earshot.

Tonks turned around and looked at Harry, before she stepped a little closer and almost purred at him. "Now that sounds like a fun way to spend an afternoon. Let's go!"

Harry backed away in alarm, eyes wide. "I was joking, Tonks! You're always teasing me, so I thought I'd try… I was just kidding! I'm sorry!"

Tonks held her expression for just a second before she joined Moody in laughter. "Oh, the look on your face!"

She grabbed Harry's arm again and started dragging him off again. "Come on, the Essence of Dittany is in my room–"

This time it was Harry that stopped short, causing Tonks to stop. She turned and laughed at him some more. "I'm kidding! Look, you did pretty well, but you gave up too quickly. You should have come back with something like, oh, I dunno… how about; 'only an afternoon, Tonks? Surely a chest like yours deserves the whole weekend?' See what I mean?"

Harry thought for a moment before replying. "I dunno, Tonks. It seems to me we've already lost most of Saturday if we're going to spend the whole weekend on it."

"That's the spirit! Just wait until you see how big I can grow my nip–"

"Stop! Please, I give up!" Harry pleaded.

Tonks just laughed a little more, before pulling him along. "No worries, you did pretty well for your first attempt, little brother." She made a point of obviously looking down. "Or maybe I should say 'younger brother' instead?"

Harry just shook his head. "How do you come up with that stuff so easily?"

"Practice, Harry. Lots of practice. One of the downsides of being a confident, and fairly good-looking woman, is that you attract a lot of attention. Once you add in the little bonus that you can morph yourself into anyone… Well, suddenly you're every bloke's wet dream walking. So, you get really good at fighting all those tossers that don't take the hint to bog off. Then later you realise that with a bit of work you can avoid having to fight at all by using flirty jibes instead. It doesn't challenge the blokes as much you see? Still, you quickly learn to do it in a way that doesn't encourage them. The trick is to reject their advances without rejecting _them_, if you see what I mean."

"Not really, but I'll take your word for it."

"Well, you really do have to learn this stuff, I'm afraid.

"Why?"

"Listen, Harry. All joking aside for a moment, you do need to learn how to deal with situations involving the opposite sex. If you go back to Hogwarts with just that bit of confidence you showed today, you're going to have half the witches after you. If you're not interested in taking up their offers, or even if you are, then you need to know how to talk to them. There'll be a lot less hurt feelings and embarrassment that way, but that doesn't mean you won't still have to protect your virtue with your wand. Trust me, I know."

Tonks read Harry's suddenly dark expression easily and bumped shoulders with him. "It's okay, you don't have to go thrash anyone. I told you I was really good at fighting, and after I threatened a couple with some fairly permanent life changes, they got the message loud and clear. Your problem is going to be harder though, because witches can be real bitches, and they will make it their life's work to mess you up if you don't take them seriously."

"You're kidding me!"

"Maybe a little, but it'd still be best to assume that behind every pretty face is a psycho-stalker just waiting to break loose. And, Harry; the prettier they are, the more psycho they can get 'cause they're more used to getting what they want."

"Tell me you're joking."

"I've already asked and answered that one, haven't I? Look, denial isn't going to get you anywhere, and I'm sorry if I've spoiled the mood a little, but I'm actually quite serious about this. Girls are going to be interested in you, whether you've already got one or two on your arm or not. Some of them will give up if they see you're already taken, but there are also going to be others that will see it as a challenge and won't wait for you to break up with your current girl. You can avoid trouble if you're prepared and have some idea of how to deal with it."

"Alright, I get it. That's why you said you're going to work on that whole teasing and embarrassment thing with me."

"Err… yeah, right, that's the reason. Mm-hmm… Oh, relax! I'm joshing! Now come on, I need to show you what a naked woman looks like so that– hey, come back! I was just kidding! Sort of…"

~o~

"You have to hide me, Remus! That woman is insane."

"I assume you mean Tonks? What is she trying to do this time?"

"She's got this mad idea that she needs to, err... 'flush the blush' out of me. Says she can't have the Chosen One 'going gaga over some ta-ta's' or something like that, so she wants me to see her naked, and not just her own form, but in a whole bunch of morphs as well so I can compare sizes and shapes and stuff."

"And you really want me to hide you from that? Are you quite sure you're a teenaged boy?"

"I don't have to time to kid around. You have to help me."

"Well, I would like to help you, Harry; certainly I would, if it wasn't for very two good reasons. First, I'm feeling quite out of sorts with the full moon due tomorrow, and for the second… well, to be perfectly honest I think she's just playing with you. You know, just trying to cheer you up. Why don't you call her bluff?"

"And what if she isn't bluffing?"

"In that case, just do what I'd do. Sit back and enjoy the show!"

"I can't believe I actually thought you might help. You're a real disappointment to me, Moony!"

"Well, I have to say the feeling is mutual, Harry… unless of course you decide to share the experience using your Pensieve? Purely for educational purposes, you understand. I can use them to quiz you on your 'advanced biology lessons'."

"That's never going to hap… pen. I've just had a brilliant idea. Thanks, Moony."

~o~

"Gotcha!"

"How can you run so fast, Tonks?" Harry asked, trying to catch his breath. He'd made it half way across the meadow before she'd brought him down with a rugby tackle.

"I have a wicked metabolism – didn't I already tell you that the other night? Anyway, what's it to be, Harry? Are you going to come quietly, or kicking and screaming... oh wait, that's probably not the best phrasing under the circumstances, is it? So, are you giving up now?"

"Yeah, I give up, Tonks," Harry said, sitting up and brushing some dirt off his elbows. "Just one thing though. You do remember I have a Pensieve now, right?"

"And your point is… oh, wait… you wouldn't! Would you?"

"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about," he said, as he stood and offered her a hand up.

"Right then, hmm, you know, I think I hear the dinner bell chiming, so I'll let you off this time."

She took his hand and let him help her up, before she started off back to the camp. "Come on, Three, let's eat! I'm starving after all that running around, and since it's your fault, don't be surprised if I nick your dessert!"

~o~

With dinner consumed, the teens sat waiting to see what lesson they could expect this evening. To their delight, Minerva began to speak.

"Becoming an Animagus requires the witch or wizard to be able to cast a form of wandless self-transfiguration. There are three main hurdles to overcome. Firstly; the wandless casting. Secondly; the self-transfiguration, and lastly; one needs to know what animal they will be able to become, as it isn't something that may be chosen.

"Mister Potter, can you tell us why wandless casting is considered difficult, and also why it shouldn't be?"

Harry was about to respond with an 'I don't know' before realising he should at least try to answer the question. He was surprised to find that the answer seemed fairly simple once he thought about it. "Would it be because everyone is used to using a wand from the time they are eleven? But they should be able to do it, because they were doing accidental magic before then, and that's a kind of wandless magic, isn't it?"

"Yes, that's it exactly. I'd give you five points for that answer, Potter, if we were at Hogwarts. Now, Miss Lovegood, perhaps you can explain why self-transfiguration can be a hurdle?"

"Yes, Professor. I think it would be because people aren't used to transfiguring themselves, only other things. Perhaps they get worried that they might not be able to change themselves back properly to the way they used to be, and that fear makes it hard for them to concentrate on the transfiguration."

"Quite correct, and that would also have been worth five points. Miss Granger, the last hurdle, if you please."

Hermione frowned. How was she supposed to know the answer when there weren't any books at Hogwarts on– _Oh, honestly!_ "The Ministry tries to discourage people from performing the Animagus transformation, and without ready access to books or training, it makes it extremely difficult for anyone to learn the method of how to identify what their animal form is. However, presumably once the method is known, the process may be readily completed by those with the correct disposition."

"And another five points for that well-reasoned response. Let us begin with the last issue shall we? Remus, could you tell us how your friends were able to resolve the issue of identifying their animal forms, please?"

"Sirius had a book in his library which explained one of the methods."

"I see. And which method did it discuss?

"The vision quest."

"Really? Given the level of concentration Pettigrew displayed in class, I would have wagered that it was the revealing potion he used."

Remus grinned at her. "It was. Prongs had to go looking for the recipe after he couldn't get anywhere. Money talks after all, especially in Knockturn Alley. Knowing what we do now, I can't help but wish he'd saved his Galleons."

Minerva nodded sadly in agreement, before remembering she was conducting a lesson. "You will probably be surprised to learn that there are in fact several methods of becoming an Animagus. To identify one's animal form, one can meditate to try and find the animal inside. This is usually referred to as a vision quest, or dream quest. Some have found it useful to burn incense or use a sweat lodge as the Native Americans do, but there are some significant risks with something like that, especially if care isn't taken.

"The second method we just mentioned is to take an Animagus Revealer potion. This potion is intended to skip the hard work, and bring you straight to the vision where you can identify your animal. The downside is that several of the ingredients required are hard to find and therefore quite expensive. There are also reports that some people have an allergic reaction to the potion, or that it simply doesn't work for them."

"Which method will we be using?" Harry asked. "I can pay for the ingredients for everyone if we use the potion."

"A generous offer, but we'll be using a third method. It was invented by someone who reportedly didn't have any success with either of the other methods, but being a misanthropic individual, was desperate to become an Animagus. The benefit to this third method is that not only do you learn which animal you may become; you are also transformed into it. This makes the other steps much easier, since you only need replicate what your body has already done before."

"So why doesn't everyone use this method then?" Harry asked.

"Because very few know of it. Fortunately for you three, I am one of those people. The process involves forming a connection to your animal side, by becoming more in tune with the natural world. When you reach the appropriate meditative state, you will find yourself drawn to things; a leaf, or a stone perhaps. Once you've collected a good number of these tokens, usually about a dozen, then they are used in a potion, which, as I mentioned before, transforms you into your animal the first time.

"Now, are you sitting comfortably? Then we'll begin. Start by closing your eyes…"

~o~

Narcissa looked over at the clock again, and decided there was no point putting things off any longer. She stood up in preparation to leave, and was wrapped in a hug by her older sister.

"You don't have to do this, Cissy. Dumbledore would hide you, and so would Harry Potter. You could take Draco and hide."

"Like Karkaroff did? I heard they've tracked him down to somewhere in the north of Britain. If they haven't killed him already then it's only a matter of time. Besides, what sort of life would it be for Draco, always on the run, always hiding and looking over his shoulder? This way, perhaps he'll still be able to have a real life. I must try, Andi."

Before Andromeda could respond, Draco spoke up. "I would prefer that you stayed, mother, and that we both went into hiding. The Dark Lord will probably kill me anyway when he finds out that I cannot take his Mark."

"You cannot take it _willingly_, Draco, but you can be forced to take it. Did you not see the escape clause that Harry gave you? Think, Draco! You cannot take the mark willingly, but you can take it _unwillingly_ without breaking your vow. Before this is all over, I think you will find you owe Lord Black your life."

Draco's expression became thoughtful for a moment, before he stepped forward and embraced his mother. "I would still prefer that you stayed, but since you seem determined to go, I would like you to promise me that you'll come back."

She hugged her son tightly and wiped her eyes before pulling back and smiling at him. "Goodbye, Draco. Mind your Aunt Andromeda. She has guardianship over you now. And be civil to your Uncle, especially in his own house. And… look after yourself. Goodbye, Andi, Ted. Thank you for looking after my son. I hope… I mean, I'll try to…" Frustrated and upset, Narcissa turned on the spot and apparated back to Malfoy Manor.

She barely had time to regain her composure before one of the House-Elves announced a visitor.

It wasn't long before her guest strode into the sitting room, and Narcissa stood to greet her. "Good evening, Bella. You're looking well. Can I get you some tea, or would you prefer something stronger?"

"Not tonight, I've got my orders. Where's Draco? He was supposed to be ready for me to escort to the Dark Lord."

"That won't be possible, Bella. Draco's not here."

"_Not here?_" Bella shouted. "_Are you insane?_ Do you have _any_ idea what the Dark Lord will do to you?"

"I will go with you to explain the problem to the Dark Lord, and to apologise for the disruption to his plans."

"This is foolish, Narcissa. You're not only throwing your own life away, you're signing a death sentence for Draco as well. At least the other way he had a chance. Is he really not here?"

As Narcissa shook her head, Bella swore, then grabbed her sister's arm and activated a Portkey.

~o~

_Author's Note: Yes, that is a nod to Vox Corporis by MissAnnThropic. Find it & read it if you enjoy good character-driven fanfiction._


End file.
